Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu has put a negative stamp on the image of Nicholas Bawin, describing the PKR politician as ‘bad political mathematics’.

alfred jabu While introducing the Batang Ai BN candidate Malcolm Mussen Lamoh to the voters in Batang Ai yesterday, Jabu ( right ) who is also PBB deputy president scoffed, “if you have already lost in your area, how do you expect to convince the people. If you have lost, it means you have lost. It is very ‘bad political mathematics’ to think otherwise.”

Bawin, the PKR front-runner for the seat, had contested four times - thrice he went for the Batang Ai state seat and once for the Lubok Antu parliamentary seat. He lost narrowly on all four counts.

Contacted today, Bawin who has been actively involved in the preparation for the by-election declined to pay much attention to Jabu's comment.

"Let him say what he wants to say," was all Bawin was prepared to say.

With only 10 more days to nomination day, it is still a guessing game as to who would be the PKR candidate for the Batang Ai by-election scheduled for April 7.

The seat fell vacant following the death of PRS incumbent Dublin Unting on Feb 24.

Last-minute announcement

It is learnt that the PKR leadership will wait till the last minute to name the candidate as a matter of strategy. Two names shortlisted by the party are Nicholas Bawin, chairperson of the Lubok Antu PKR division and Lubok Antu’s former five-term MP Jawah Gerang.

But Jabu seems almost certain that Bawin will be the PKR standard bearer, hence his tirade against the PKR aspirant.

jewah gerang nicholas bawin pkr candidate for batang ai state seat 270209 Observers feel that both Bawin ( right ) and Jawah ( left ) have strong points that will turn one of them into a winner.

Bawin is an expert on NCR land and Iban customs as he was the deputy president of Sarawak Council of Native Laws for more than 13 years. He has been active in the fight to get NCR land titled.

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On the other hand, Jawah has never been defeated in the Lubok Antu parliamentary constituency of which Batang Ai is part of. He was said to be dropped as the BN candidate last year because he was too vocal against injustices meted out against the Ibans.

Meanwhile the delay in announcing the PKR candidate is causing some anxiety on both sides. For BN leaders, they are groping in the dark but they have started 'firing' anyway, even blanks. But for PKR members, they are interested to know who the candidate is soon - be he Bawin or Jawah.

"We will name our candidate in the last minute as a matter of strategy. But whoever is selected by the party leadership, PKR members and supporters must give their total commitment and support to the candidate to ensure our victory," said a senior party leader.