Sarawak's Star to contest seats in Bidayuh heartland
Sarawak-based State Reform Party (Star) led by former assistant minister Dr Patau Rubis has confirmed that it will go after three parliamentary seats.
Dr Patau told malaysiakini today that the party had identified its candidates for the Bidayuh-majority seats of Mas Gading, Mambong and Serian.
The Bidayuh, who are formerly called land dayak, represent about 8 percent of Sarawak's population and they mostly live in the Kuching district.
In the 1999 general elections, the party performed credibly in these constituencies.
Patau himself contested in Mas Gading and was locked in a straight fight against BN's Dr Tiki Lafe. However, he lost by a 3,820-vote majority by polling 6,764 votes against Tiki's 10,584 votes.
In the newly-created Mambong constituency, the then party deputy secretary-general Dr Jerip Susil polled 9,655 votes against BN's Dr James Dawos' 11,327 votes.
Jerip has since joined BN through the Sarawak United People's Party (Supp) and is the state assemblyperson for Bengoh.
'Follow your heart'
Patau said the party's candidate for Serian had also been identified.
In the last elections, the Star candidate Anthony Polycarp Munjan, a former director of the Sarawak Labour Department, secured 4,040 votes against BN's incumbent Richard Riot who polled 12,491 votes in a three-cornered fight.
The third candidate Shamsuddin Abdullah alias Pok ak Ungkut, an independent, secured 872 votes.
The Star president added that the party was confident of doing well provided it was a fair and clean election.
"I hope the voters will follow their heart and what they want for the community in the future," he said.
Patau also offered Dominque Ng Kim Ho, the prospective independent candidate for Bandar Kuching parliamentary seat, the party platform, saying that he was confident he would fare better under Star ticket than any other.
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