KUCHING – Former Pujut DAP assemblyman Fong Pau Teck – who was sacked from the party in 2013 but stood as an independent in the 2016 Sarawak election and lost – is now running as a candidate for the same seat on a Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak (Aspirasi) ticket in the upcoming state election.
Fong, who was sacked in 2013 midway through his term by the party’s disciplinary committee for “going against the party”, is now hell-bent on winning the Pujut seat, which remains vacant since February 11 last year.
The seat fell vacant when DAP incumbent Dr Ting Tiong Choon, who won the seat in the 2016 state election, was disqualified following a Federal Court decision affirming his removal from the Sarawak Legislative Assembly over his alleged dual citizenship.
The 2016 state election in Pujut saw a four-cornered fight between DAP (Ting), Barisan Nasional (Hii King Chiong), PAS (Jofri Jaraiee), and Fong as an independent candidate.
Ting garnered 8,899 votes and emerged the winner, while Hii received 7,140 votes, PAS 575 votes, and Fong a paltry 375 votes.
Fong is an election regular in Pujut – his first foray on a DAP ticket was in 2006, losing to BN’s Chia Chu Fatt by a majority of 1,370 to Chia’s 6,493 votes. Fong garnered 5,123 votes.
The coming election will see Fong employing all of his charm and charisma, which also includes Honey Badger, a mixed-breed puppy that acts as his live mascot and lucky charm.
If the words “guts and grit” need representation from the animal world, Fong has aptly chosen his pet, which he says is a symbol of bravery and courage.
“In any battle, whether one wins or loses, it is courage that one needs most. It is courage that one needs to stay victorious and it is courage that one needs to fight again in lost battlegrounds,” he tells The Vibes, obviously hinting at his repeated attempts to win the Pujut seat.
“I have named my pet dog ‘Honey Badger’ because I could not find any honey badgers in Sarawak to be my actual election mascot.
“The honey badger is the bravest animal in the world as it will not hesitate to attack animals much larger than itself, even lions or crocodiles.
“Perhaps that’s why James Brooke uses the honey badger as his national emblem.
“I hope all Sarawakians will have the brave and venturesome spirit of the first White Rajah to make Sarawak a greater state unlike what it is today.”
To finance his election campaign, Fong is selling honey badger dolls – at RM20 for the smaller ones and RM100 for the larger ones.
Voter sentiment in Pujut
Pujut is mainly a Chinese-majority constituency with Hakka and Foochow communities largely making up the voter bank among the indigenous communities.
“Like every voter in the country, Pujut voters have more or less the same thoughts and aspirations.
“They want good governance; less or zero corruption, no racist politics and race-based policies in the national agenda; no religious bigotry and extremism.
“Specifically for Sarawak and like all Sarawakians, voters in Pujut want revenue from the state’s oil and gas returned to them.
“The industry generates more than RM80 billion a year. This is a huge monetary resource that Sarawakians are losing out on every year.
“People ask me If I can win this time. Winning is not my main concern. What is important is raising awareness, spelling out our ideals and aspirations.
“We want to shout out ‘independence for Sarawak’ loud and clear.
“If no Sarawak nationalists contest this time, the ruling party would be very happy and keep on ignoring the wishes of the people of Sarawak. And Sarawak will continuously be marginalised,” said Fong, who actually hails from Sibu but has lived in Pujut for many years.
Fong said everything contained in the Aspirasi manifesto is what he stands for and is willing to fight for.
“I can stand as an independent but I chose to join Parti Aspirasi because I believe in its call for an independent Sarawak. In the current political climate, only an independent Sarawak can bring about the necessary changes to the state, changes that are critical for progress and the well-being of its people.”
He said Pujut is just an ordinary constituency and there is nothing special about it. Most of the Chinese are in the M40 group and their concerns are mainly about the future of Sarawak.
“Although the infrastructure development here is quite good and adequate, there are still many squatters in this area. Most of them are in the B20 income category and are moving away from rural areas.
“This proves that the government of Sarawak has failed in its housing policy.
“People of Sarawak squat on their own land and this is a shame,” said Fong, who considers politics his life-long passion. – The Vibes, November 16, 2021
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