KUCHING: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) may contest in Padungan and Pending but the final decision rests with its top leadership.
Batu Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang said he was not in a position to confirm whether the party would field candidates in the two constituencies, noting that such matters fall under the purview of the party president.
“I’m only the deputy secretary-general, so I don’t know about it. You have to ask the president,” he said when asked on the matter.
Lo acknowledged that Padungan and Pending have traditionally been SUPP strongholds, though the party lost ground in recent elections.
He pointed out that several other constituencies were also historically SUPP seats.
“Yes, they (Padungan and Pending) were traditionally SUPP seats. But Dudong, Bawang Assan and Engkili were also traditionally SUPP seats,” he added.
Despite past setbacks, Lo indicated that the party remains open to reclaiming Padungan and Pending.
He stressed that SUPP must take responsibility for its losses and work towards rebuilding its strength.
“Padungan and Pending, I think we are open to contest after so many years (that) we lost. Who else can we blame? Nobody stopped others from contesting,” he added.
He noted that other Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) component parties — Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) — are unlikely to contest in Padungan and Pending due to their predominantly Chinese voter base.
At the same time, Lo said the same understanding should apply to other seats where SUPP has historically been dominant.
“Of course PDP, PBB and PRS will not come into Padungan and Pending because voters there are predominantly Chinese. But again, it has happened in Dudong,” he said.
Nevertheless, he cautioned that political dynamics are never fixed.
“In politics, anything can happen. So we in SUPP have to make sure that we are capable and strong. We cannot blame others — there is no use blaming others for whatever has happened,” he said.
Aside from Padungan, Pending and Dudong, SUPP’s traditional seats are Opar, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kitang, Batu Kawa, Simanggang, Repok, Meradong, Bukit Assek, Pelawan, Tanjong Batu, Piasau, Pujut, Senadin, Batu Lintang, Mambong, Bawang Assan and Engkilili.
In the 2021 Sarawak state election, SUPP did not contest in Dudong and Mambong after GPS unanimously decided to let PDP and PBB to field their candidate there respectively.
SUPP contested in 18 seats and won 13 of them, a significant increase from the seven seats it held previously. The party lost in Padungan, Pending, Batu Lintang, Bawang Assan, and Engkilili (PSB).
