KUCHING, Dec 12 — Sih Hua Tong is not one to dwell on past defeats. In his case, he was beaten twice but he considers it a chance to “prove his sincerity“ to the people of opposition stronghold Batu Lintang where he is standing as a Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate for the third time in the upcoming state election.
“It has been a painstaking journey but I believe in what I am doing. I have and will continue to help the people here, becoming an ADUN (state assemblyman) will mean I will have a more effective platform to serve and bring up the bigger issues affecting Batu Lintang like addressing flood problems in the state assembly,” he said after visiting a kampung here earlier today.
Batu Lintang is a working class urban residential area with a sprinkle of middle income homes and several kampungs. It has close to 30,000 voters, of which 85 per cent are Chinese and the rest of the community are Ibans, Malays and a small number of Indians.
Sih, 57, took over as Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Batu Lintang branch chairman in 2011, the year he first stood as a candidate. It was then won by See Chee How, formerly of DAP, who contested on a PKR ticket and defended it in 2016.
The incumbent, who has since joined Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), is seen as a strong contender once again in the five-cornered fight in next Saturday’s polls. In the fray is another veteran Voon Lee Shan who won the seat in 2006 for DAP and now president of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) which is contesting 73 of the 82 seats for the first time.
As a new candidate in 2011, Sih polled 26 per cent of the votes amid the opposition’s call for change and in 2016, he garnered a 36.5 per cent share and halved See’s winning majority.
“2016 was lucky in a way because of the Adenan (the then Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem) factor. This time there is no wind of change like in 2011. Things have calmed down, I think the voters will be very fair in looking for the better individual,” said Sih, who is a Universiti Malaya-training engineer.
A kampung boy himself from Saratok, Sih has made it a point to visit all seven kampungs in the constituency, the smallest being Kampung Nada with 26 houses, and even taught himself Iban to talk to the villagers.
“It may seem daring to say this but there is no place in Batu Lintang I have not been to. For the rest of the campaign period, I would continue to do my usual things, make more friends and get their support,” he said.
Apart from the three candidates. the other contestants are newcomers, Cherishe Ng from PKR and Alex Leong from Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi).
“Whether I win or lose is a different concern, there are problems that need attention. Even if I am not elected, as a friend I will still assist the people of Batu Lintang,” said Sih.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency