SUPP's media-shy electoral debutante Robert Lau Hui Yew seems to have finally broken out of his shell , declaring his rival, DAP strongman Wong Ho Leng, unfit to represent Sibu.

sibu by election 070510 robert lau The 45-year-old lawyer ( left ) said he is the new face who can push the agenda of reinvigorating the one-time financial hub of Sarawak.

"I think I am a better candidate for change, other than someone who has been trying to push for change for more than 20 years," he said at a press conference to announce his election manifesto at the SUPP Sibu headquarters this morning.

Looking much more composed and receptive to questions than he had been over the past week, Lau brushed aside claims by the opposition that he is standing in the shadow of his late cousin, Robert Lau Hoi Chiew, whose death on Apr 9, at age 66, left the Sibu parliamentary seat vacant.

"I'm my own man. The late Robert Lau and I were very close... we had our own opinions but we could work together. We may have had different traits, but on principle we were united towards developing Sibu," he said.

Lau stressed that the SUPP have and will continue to develop Sibu "progressively", in line with Prime Minsiter Najib Abdul Razak's 1Malaysia vision and the New Economic Model (NEM) towards building a high-income society.

"We must help the locals, business, education. We cannot just harp on old issues, we have to move on, because nothing stays the same.

sibu by election 080510 wong ho leng "The DAP want to push for a revolution everyday. What we want to do is a smooth, steady progression," he said.

Lau noted that his campaign has also taken the cue from Najib in reaching out to young voters, using popular social network site Facebook and his own website to engage youths.

"As someone from the younger generation, (I see) a lot of them who are fence-sitters choose not to get their information from TV or newspapers.

"They want interaction. While they would like to listen, they also want to tell us what they think. There are those who do not want to join political parties or social organisations, but they still have issues that need to be heard.

"Datuk Seri Najib has been very successful in doing this. So when he comes here, we will invite the people to come and meet him. We are bringing it all to Sibu," he said.