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Not An Impossible Feat
Abang Johari (front, eighth left) drums up support for PBB. He is joined by his wife Juma’ani on his left, as well as (from fifth left) Nanta, Bustari, Dr Annuar and others.
November 27th, 2017 | 08:57 AM | 1951 views
SIBU
CM says BN has chance to recapture Sibu and Lanang seats from the opposition in GE14
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg believes that there is a fighting chance for Barisan Nasional (BN) to wrest the opposition’s strongholds of Sibu and Lanang this 14th general election (GE14).
“If they (people) feel that we (BN) have a direction for the future – they can rationalise on that.
“Based on that, then they can vote for BN. It is a fighting chance,” Abang Johari, who is Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president, told reporters when asked on BN’s chances of recapturing the two seats.
For the record, in the GE13, Democratic Action Party (DAP) fielded a new face for Sibu parliamentary seat in the person of pharmacist Oscar Ling Chai Yew, who garnered 26,808 votes to edge his closest rival Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau, who polled 23,967 votes, while Independent Narawi Haron got 203 votes in a three-cornered fight.
In Lanang, DAP’s Alice Lau polled 26,613 votes to defeat former five-term Lanang MP Datuk Tiong Thai King, who secured 17,983 votes. Asked if the direct BN candidate formula as used in the last state election would be used again this time around, Abang Johari said: “That one (use of direct BN candidate) we (will) only know later. Don’t know”.
Abang Johari was met after officiating at the meeting of PBB representatives from the branches of Bukit Assek, Dudong, Bawang Assan, Pelawan and Nangka here yesterday. Themed ‘Transforming Sarawak through digital economy’, it was attended by some 1,500 members.
Assistant Minister of Education and Technological Research Dr Annuar Rapaee, who is PBB Nangka chairman, in his opening remarks, called for consolidated efforts to reclaim Sibu and Lanang seats from the opposition.He stressed that strong cooperation and hard work would be needed to win the two seats which have been long held by the opposition.
Meanwhile, Abang Johari in his speech mentioned about PBB’s vast contribution to Sarawak.
He said the party was able to bring about unity to the Bumiputera and non-Bumiputera communities as its past leaders had been stressing on a strong foundation for the people to be united and live harmoniously with one another.
Citing former Chief Minister Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud as an example, he said the latter’s politics of development had opened up Sarawak, making its economy more vibrant than before.
As for Pehin Sri Adenan Satem who took over from Taib, he said the former had been seeking for devolution of power to reclaim the state’s rights, abolished tolls, reduced electricity tariffs and so on.
“This is PBB – we want to help people,” he added.
Touching on his own leadership, Abang Johari said he wanted Sarawak to be able to compete with any country in the world, especially in digital economy.
Also present were Abang Johari’s wife Datin Patinggi Datuk Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang, Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi,
Assistant Minister of Law, State-Federal Relations and Project Monitoring Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, PBB Dudong chairman Tan Sri Dato Sri Bustari Yusuf, Temenggong Datuk Wan Hamid Edruce and wife Datin Sharifah Zaidah Syed Abdul Aziz.
Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST
by Peter Boon
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