MIRI: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) is confident of wresting Pujut constituency from Democratic Action Party (DAP) in the coming state election.
SUPP Pujut branch chairman Adam Yii who is also Miri mayor said their election machineries were all geared up for the coming state polls.
“Basically, people in the area have experienced DAP for the past 10 years, I believe we can do more for Pujut if we are the ‘YB’ in the area,” Yii said.
DAP won the constituency in the last two state elections in 2011 and 2016.
However, the seat fell vacant after DAP’s assemblyman Dr Ting Tiong Choon was disqualified over his dual citizenship status on February this year.
Yii is hoping that voters in Pujut would give SUPP a chance to serve them.
“I believe with our election strategies, our chances are good …. give SUPP a chance to develop Pujut further,” he exhorted.
Yii was tight-lipped on whether he would be GPS’s candidate for the constituency in the state election.
“Let the party (SUPP) leadership decide on that,” he said.
On the SUPP Pujut election machineries, Yii said that currently, its machineries were at the stage of “warming up”.
“Currently we have reached about 80 percent readiness, and we are planning to carry out election training courses for our (election) machineries in order to get them well prepared,” he pointed out.
Pujut is reportedly one of the hottest urban seats to watch these coming state polls with political pundits predicting a competitive run.
The seat has been considered a DAP stronghold, since they won it in the 2011 and 2016 state election.
Pujut has traditionally been allocated to SUPP since the Barisan Nasional (BN) era and GPS is expected to continue with this arrangement.
SUPP’s secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting recently announced that the party would contest in all of its 20 traditional seats in the 12th Sarawak election.
The 20 traditional seats are Opar, Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kitang, Batu Kawah, Mambong, Simanggang, Engkilili, Repok, Meradong, Bukit Assek, Dudong, Bawang Assan, Pelawan, Tanjung Batu, Piasau, Pujut and Senadin.
Pundits expect a three-cornered fight in Pujut this coming polls, with SUPP contesting against DAP and perhaps a candidate from newly formed Gabungan Anak Sarawak (Gasak).
A reliable source disclosed that Gasak may field former Pujut assemblyman Fong Pau Teck.
Fong when contacted yesterday said, Pujut has been his priority, although he could be fielded in another seat outside Miri.
“It will depend on how the situation develops,” he said.
