Wilfred Yap for Stampin

CONGRATULATIONS: Lo (second left) congratulating Yap (second right) after the press conference. Also seen are Tan Kai (left) and SUPP publicity and information secretary Datuk Sebastian Ting. — Photo by Chimon Upon

SUPP ends dither over choice of candidate for Stampin seat, opts for Youth wing sec-gen

KUCHING: Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) announced yesterday that it has chosen its Youth secretary-general Wilfred Yap as its candidate for the Stampin parliamentary constituency replacing incumbent Datuk Yong Khoon Seng in the coming general election.

The decision reached at the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting at its headquarters here ended months of speculation on the Stampin seat as Padawan Municipal Council chairman Lo Khere Chiang was also in the running to represent the party in the constituency.

“We have been unanimous in our decision that Wilfred Yap will take up this task of representing the party for Stampin because we feel that it is not fair to either one of them to be left uncertain after our announcement last time to say that Stampin could either be represented by Lo Khere Chiang or Wilfred Yap,” SUPP president Datuk Seri Peter Chin told a press conference after chairing the CWC meeting.

Chin said the discussion on the candidacy which also involved Yap and Lo was cordial although any decision made would entail one of them stepping aside.

“We are fighting for the party’s survival so it is indeed important that our comrades from not only the top leadership level but also the middle level and on the ground be a united group to vie for these two seats, Bandar Kuching and Stampin,” Chin said.

The CWC had also formed a joint SUPP Bandar Kuching-Stampin Parliamentary Constituencies Election Committee comprising Batu Kawa, Kota Sentosa, Batu Lintang, Padungan and Pending branches to coordinate the election campaign in the two constituencies.

The committee is headed by Chin himself and assisted by SUPP secretary-general Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian and Stampin MP Datuk Yong Khoon Seng as deputy chairmen.

Dr Sim is also the Barisan Nasional liaison officer and he is assisted by Lo. Other members in the committee are Datuk Alfred Yap (secretary), Tionia Kon (assistant secretary), Bong Lian Huan (treasurer), Lim Kheng Sze (assistant treasurer), Sih Hua Tong (publicity secretary), Shim Poh Szu (assistant publicity secretary), Milton Foo (campaign manager), Tan Joo Phoi (stage manager), Tnay Li Ping (assistant stage manager), Datuk Lily Yong (ceramah and crowd mobilisation manager) and Ong Chee Chiang (transport manager).

Chin stated that the formation of the joint election committee showed how serious the party was in wresting Bandar Kuching seat from DAP and defending the Stampin seat through Tan and Yap respectively.

“We know these two candidates are new and young but we have full confidence in them because of their youth and enthusiasm. This is also in line with the transformation agenda of our party to ensure that the party has a younger front,” he said.

Chin stressed that now that the party had decided that Yap would be its candidate for Stampin seat, nobody could accuse that it of being indecisive.

“Of course, I must qualify that all this that these two candidates Tan Kai for Bandar Kuching and Wilfred Yap for Stampin will be submitted to both state and federal BN leadership for approval,” Chin said.

He added that this time around, all the branches and members in Kuching were all solidly united and no longer worked in “silos” anymore.

sumber:theborneopost