SIBU: Sarawak United People’s Party Dudong assistant secretary Dr Wong Chya Wei said SUPP is not about to give up on Dudong state seat.
Speaking at a press conference organised by the branch’s Youth and Women wings yesterday, Dr Wong said Dudong had always been won by SUPP, the party had every reason to continue to contest the seat in the coming state election.
“SUPP had won eight out of 11 state elections, Dudong is our traditional seat,” Dr Wong insisted.
Dr Wong’s argument was shared by branch Youth chief Benjamin Tien who went through the history of the seat.
Tien said it was SUPP candidate Kong Chun Shao who first won Dudong when the seat debuted in 1970. Kong defeated the Sarawak Alliance candidate. That year Dudong was a Bumiputera-majority seat.
In 1974 state election, Kong was replaced by Datuk Ting Ing Mieng who was defeated by Datuk Sandah of SNAP who successfully defended the seat in 1979 state election.
In 1983 state election, Wilfred Kiroh, an independent candidate who was supported by SUPP, defeated Joseph Tang of SNAP. Kiroh later joined BN/SUPP.
In 1987 state election, Kiroh quit BN/SUPP to join Kumpulan Maju led by Tun Rahman. He was defeated by Jawan Empaling of SUPP.
In 1990, there was a demarcation exercise of state constituencies in Sarawak by the Election Commission. Dudong became a Chinese majority seat. In 1991, SUPP’s Datuk Dr Soon contested against Joseph Tang of DAP and won with a landslide majority of 6,033 votes.
Dr Soon went on to win the seat in 1996, 2001 and 2006.
In 2011, Dr Soon was replaced by Datuk Tiong Thai King who was defeated by Yap Hoi Liong of DAP by 317 votes.
In 2016, Tiong Thai King successfully wrested the seat for BN from Yap.
“There is no better party than SUPP to contest Dudong,” Tien said.
