With only four days left to go before polling day, the battle for support in the Sibu by-election has shifted to a higher gear and local issues are now taking centre stage in campaigning.

The Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), the Barisan Nasional's (BN) component party fighting the by-election, today fired a salvo against the "enemy" DAP and demanded to know what the peninsula-based party had done for the people of Sibu.

Presenting what they termed as the "BN's report Card", Sibu SUPP publicity chief Daniel Ngieng said the pace of development and physical growth of Sibu was largely due to the leaderhip of the SUPP and BN.

This included building of roads and bridges, public amenities, parks and green areas, traffic system, Sibu airport terminal extension as well as on education.

"What have they done for education in Sibu? I want the DAP to answer this question," he said at SUPP's by-election daily press conference in Sibu today.

On the other side, the DAP hit out at the SUPP and BN on land issues as well as distribution of wealth in Sarawak.

DAP Sibu by-election director Chong Chieng Jen said the party regretted that the BN, particulary SUPP, had "failed" to make any stand on land issues, which was a major concern to the people of Sarawak.

"This is particulary related to the renewal of land leases. After the lease term expires, and those who decide not to renew, the land will go back to the government without any compensation.

"If the government approves renewal requests, the landowners have to pay hefty premiums which can amount to thousands of ringgit, depending on the assessment by the Land and Survey Department," he told reporters at the party's by-election headquarters.

Therefore, Chong said, the DAP wanted the current state land code to be amended to allow for automatic renewal of all leased land for a period of 99 years and without any conditions attached for renewal.

Apart from that, DAP also hit out at the BN on the issue of distribution of the wealth in Sarawak and the need for fair financials allocation to the general public.

- Bernama