Divided SPDP, a blessing for PPP

In the 13th general election, Sarawak's Mas Gading constituency with its 23,199 voters will be among those to watch out for.

KUCHING: In the parliamentary constituency of Mas Gading, a divided Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) is a blessing for peninsular-based PPP.

Peoples’ Progressive Party (PPP) is aiming to exploit the widening differences between the SPDP leadership and its elected representatives.

Despite being systematically slammed by Sarawak-Barisan Nasional component parties for voicing its intention to contest in Sarawak in the 13th general election, PPP remains stoic in its interest.

The Mas Gading seat which PPP is keen on is held by SPDP’s Dr Tiki Lafe.

Lafe has been at odds with his party president William Mawan since he and four other assemblymen walked out of the January 2010 meeting protesting against Mawan’s decision to replace Sylvester Enteri as secretary-general.

Mawan has since thrown polictical diplomacy aside and declared that he will field a new and ‘winnable’ candidate in Mas Gading. He also said that several other seats will also see new candidates.

Party insiders have said that Mawan’s decision is less to do with winning than with ending Lafe’s political career.

“Lafe is with them (SPDP 5). He is the only one who has always ignored Mawan.

“The others were forced to apologise to Mawan so that they could defend their seats in the (April 16) state elections.

“Going into the GE, Mawan wants to stamp his authority. He is ready to sever dissenting voices,” said the insider.

The ‘SPDP 5′ whom the insider was alluding to is Lafe, state assemblymen Sylvester Enteri (Marudi), Peter Nansian (Tasik Biru), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu) and Paulus Gumbang (Batu Danau).

PPP sees Mawan’s decision as an opportunity to cash in on the situation.

Laughable bid

According to Mas Gading PPP branch chairman Bujang Shariff, there are 3,000 PPP members in the constituency, and the numbers are good enough for the party to consider contesting there.

“The people in the area (Mas Gading) have accepted us…we will contest,” he said adding that he will convey PPP’s desire to state BN chairman Taib Mahmud.

The MAS Gading constituency has 23,199 voters. In the last general election Lafe won the seat by a 4,000 vote-majority.

He defeated Sarawak Nasional Party’s (SNAP) Dr Patau Rubis and independent candidates Favian Tisen and Apin Baeng.

But SPDP senior vice-president, Nansian has laughed off Bujang’s threat.

He told Borneo Post: “Mas Gading belongs to SPDP, a BN component party. How can a BN component party at federal level grab a seat that belongs to another component party?”

It will be an interesting 13 GE here in Sarawak. Following a historic 10th state election which saw opposition up its seats from six to 16, DAP has also declared its intentions to go into the rural constituencies.

And Mas Gading is on their list because it has 1,500 Chinese voters.

PPP, the spoiler

DAP won 12 out of 15 seats it contested. one of these wins were in seats with mixed Dayak, Malay and Chinese communities.

Riding on this success, the party is also eyeing the Mambong, Serian and Sri Aman constituencies.

Mambong’s total electorate is about 38,307 of which 10,544 are Chinese voters.

In Serian there are 4,000 Chinese voters in the 29,969-strong electorate while in Sri Aman, there are 27,064 voters of which 4,555 of them are Chinese voters.

Last month PPP president M Kayveas said that the party will field candidates in some of the Chinese majority parliamentary seats including Mas Gading.

“We will be targeting seats, which are traditionally won by the opposition and which BN finds difficult to win,” he said referring to seats formerly held by Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP).

SUPP lost 13 of 19 seats it contested in the April 16 state elections.

The party is also deeply divided and struggling to find unity within. Political sources here are of the opinion that SUPP is unlikely to be ready in time for the GE even if it is held next year.

Kayveas has said that PPP had more than 50,000 members in Sarawak, half of whom he claimed were Chinese and this had fueled PPP’s decision to contest in Sarawak.

His decision, however, has drawn scorn from local BN parties, which have described him as nothing more than a ‘political joker’ who would provide them with “good laughs” during the 13th general election.

They however admit that PPP, if it does contest, will be a spoiler.