KUCHING, April 22 (Bernama) -- Sarawak United People''s Party (SUPP)
president, Datuk Seri Peter Chin today announced three names among their
candidates for the coming general elections but keeps mum over his own position.
Serian Member of Parliament and Deputy Foreign Minister, Datuk Richard Riot
Jaem and Sarikei Member of Parliament were retained as candidates, while the
party''s youth chairman, Tan Kai, a new face, was recommended to stand in Bandar
Kuching.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the party''s central working committee
(CWC) meeting here, Chin said a parliamentary liaison committee would decide by
April 30 who would be the candidate for Miri, where he himself is the incumbent.
"I will leave it to the (Miri Parliamentary Liaison) committee to decide
(whether I should be retained as candidate)," he said.
He said a committee comprising himself, Riot and secretary-general Dr Sim
Hui Kian would be perusing six names that had been submitted for Stampin
constituency, where its incumbent, Datuk Yong Khoon Seng, had decided not to
seek re-election.
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CHIN-SUPP (WITH PIX) 2 (LAST) KUCHING
Chin said the CWC could not decide on the candidates for the Sibu and Lanang
constituencies as the local parliamentary liaison committees there had yet to
officially submit any name until today.
The Sibu committee is chaired by the party''s former deputy secretary-general
Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, while Datuk Tiong Thai King headed the Lanang
committee.
Wong, who led a faction dissatisfied with the outcome of the party''s last
trennial general assembly, had recently announced a local community leader,
Vincent Lau, as SUPP candidate for Sibu with Tiong set to defend Lanang.
SUPP, which is the oldest political party in Sarawak, won six out of seven
parliamentary constituencies in the 12th general election held in 2008.
The party is seen to be facing a tough battle in the 13th general election
following their poor performance in the last state election in 2011 where they
lost 13 out of 19 seats that they contested.
-- BERNAMA
HI AO