Sarawak United People’s Party’s (SUPP) greatest fear in facing the coming general election is the spectre of defeat it experienced in the last state election, where it lost 13 out 19 seats it contested.

NONE SUPP president Peter Chin ( left ) said the biggest concern was that the bad results of the last state election are coming to haunt the party in the coming general election.

“That is our biggest worry, and we hope we can overturn these bad results to our advantage in the coming election.

“This election is the biggest challenge for us,” Chin said after chairing the SUPP central working committee (CWC) meeting.

In a recent statement, Chin had said that the coming general election would be a matter of “life and death” for the party.

“It is a do-or-die battle, and we must win it (the election). We cannot afford to lose, otherwise the history of SUPP will be rewritten.

“The party’s survival hinges on its performance in the impending election, and all members must work hand-in-hand to ensure the party wins all the seven seats,” he said.

Pundits: Uphill battle for Chinese-majority seats

But political pundits have unkind words for SUPP which, they say, is fighting an uphill battle in six of the Chinese-majority seats, especially when judging by the results of the 2011 state election.

SUPP’s chances are made worse by the fact that the party is now split into two groups after its triennial delegates’ conference in December last year.

“The spectre of defeat in the six Chinese-majority seats is staring the party in the face,” the political pundits said.

In the last state election, SUPP won only two of the 15 Chinese majority seats because the Chinese voters were fed-up with what was happening in the party, coupled with its inability to help the Chinese community, they said.

Meanwhile, at the press conference yesterday, Chin also announced that Youth secretary-general Wilfred Yap would be the candidate for Stampin, replacing five-term MP Yong Khoon Seng who has decided to step down.

The announcement ended months of speculation on the Stampin seat as Padawan Municipal Council chairperson Lo Khere Chiang was also in the running.

azlan “The CWC has unanimously agreed that Yap will take up the task of representing the party in the Stampin seat.

“We have formed an election committee with members coming from the five branches in Kuching, namely Batu Kawah, Kota Sentosa, Batu Lintang, Padungan and Pending, to help Yap in Stampin and (SUPP Youth chief) Tan Kai in Bandar Kuching.

“I am heading this committee, and this is to show how serious we are to capture Bandar Kuching from DAP and to retain Stampin,” Chin said.

“We are confident we can win these two seats, given the fact that our candidates are young and full of enthusiasm.”

SUPP’s other candidates are Richard Riot (Serian), Ding Kuong Hiing (Sarikei), Vincent Lau (Sibu), Tiong Thai King (Lanang) and Sebastian Ting (Miri).

The writer, who uses a pseudonym, is based in Sarawak.