SPDP’s Tiki Lafe will re-contest even if sacked

Barisan Nasional cannot expect 'blind support' from Mas Gading's 23,000 thinking voters.

KUCHING: No matter what the outcome is on Friday Nov 25, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) vice president Tiki Lafe will seek a re-election in the 13th general election and he’s going to leave his fate to his 23,000 constituents.

There is a high possibility that Lafe will be sacked from SPDP on Friday for rebelling against party president William Mawan.

He is one of the infamous ‘SPDP 5′ who have declared that they have lost faith and confidence in Mawan.

Said a source close to Lafe: “To say that he (Lafe) is leaving his fate to the Prime Minister is over-simplication. He has been working very hard (in his Mas Gading constituency) even before the crisis.

“His fate actually lies with the 23,000 voters,” said the source, who is a community leader and a strong Lafe supporter.

He added that Lafe was well aware that people will not offer their ‘blind support’ to Barisan Nasional anymore.

“And whether the people are still supporting him or not, he is leaving it to the people to decide. The Mas Gading voters are much smarter than most people assume.

“There are no more such things as blindly supporting Barisan Nasional as what that joker (Mawan) claimed during their dinner a few nights ago,” said the leader who refused to be named.

Jinep for Mas Gading

Meanwhile Lafe, when contacted declined to comment.

But he did add that “anybody who wanted to know the mood of the people on the ground should go to constituency. Only then they will know.”

It is understood that whether Lafe will defend his seat on a SPDP ticket or not will also be known on Friday when the party’s supreme council meets to decide on whether to sack the five or not.

Inside sources say that the decision is foregone and that Lafe will be the first ‘victim’ of the two-year-old crisis.

Mawan has reportedly said that a ‘winnable’ candidate for Mas Gading will be made known this Friday.

Speculations are rife that the Mawan’s winnable candidate is a local businessman Henry Harry Jinep.

Jinep has been going around canvassing in the constituency in the last few months.

Lafe’s Bidayuh votes

But a source from the ‘SPDP 5’ said Lafe will go for his fourth term in the constituency where the Bidayuh voters form more than 60% of the electorate.

“No matter what, Tiki will contest,” said the source, pointing out that an election committee has been formed to campaign for Tiki.

In the coming general election, the Mas Gading constituency is likely to see a three-corneredd fight with the participation of a candidate from the Pakatan Rakyat Sarawak.

Currently, the Pakatan Sarawak is assessing whether a DAP candidate or a PKR candidate should contest the seat.