KUCHING – Speculation is rife that state DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen will relinquish the party’s stronghold in Kota Sentosa to challenge SUPP’s (Sarawak United Peoples’ Party) Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian in Batu Kawah.
If Chong runs in Batu Kawah, his special officer Michael Kong will defend Kota Sentosa instead.
Sarawak DAP is expected to announce its state candidates at 1pm today.
Yesterday, DAP, which is part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, announced that it would contest 26 seats, leaving PKR with 47 and Amanah with nine.
Chong said there will be several new faces and that some of the party’s incumbents will not be standing in the December 18 polls.
Some political insiders said Chong might go for Batu Kawah while others said he will be standing in Padungan, which was left vacant when incumbent Wong King Wei quit the party in July last year.
If Chong takes on Sim, it could be a repeat of the duo’s clash in 2018 when they both ran for the Stampin parliamentary seat.
Then, Chong, 33, beat Sim by garnering 33,060 votes to Sim’s 18,839.
Sarawak heads to the polls on December 18, with the nomination day falling on December 6 and early voting on December 14. – The Vibes, November 26, 2021
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