Kota Marudu member of parliament Maximus Ongkili is confident the seat is winnable and can be retained by the Barisan Nasional (BN) in the coming 13th General Election, with an increased majority.     

“I’m willing to defend the seat...and we should be able to deliver it for BN, once again,” he told Bernama yesterday.     

“I’m the number two in the party (Parti Bersatu Sabah), I’m sure they know what to do with my position. We have served the people well, and the people in Kota Marudu have confidence in us in bringing about development and security aspect,” he said.     

On whether his party had finalised the candidacy, Ongkili said, party president Joseph Pairin Kitingan had met the prime minister and it was being studied.

Meanwhile Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) component, Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) will focus on ground warfare but leave the battle of perception and cyber warfare against the opposition to its youth wing, said deputy secretary-general Paul Igai. 

He cited the case of the Baram parliamentary seat which was viewed as a 'disputed' area which saw its rating improve significantly due to concerted efforts in handling major issues like the proposed Baram dam project.     

"Unless there are big findings, the youth wing will report them to us in the party's supreme council, which need to work extra hard until polling day," Igai, who is also political secretary to the chief minister, told Bernama in Kuching today.     

SPDP will defend all its four parliamentary seats of Baram, Mas Gading, Saratok and Bintulu in the 13th General Election.     

He said the party did not consider issues related to the dam construction as a real threat as previously perceived, because the people, including community leaders and representatives in Baram had given their support, following a dialogue session with Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud early this month.

Credit should also be given to incumbent Baram member of parliament Jacob Sagan, who despite being the subject of numerous personal attacks in the run-up to the election, had done a lot of explanation and gone to the ground to visit the constituents, he said.     

Contrary to perception, Igai was also confident that expelled SPDP vice-president Sylvester Entri, who is also state assemblyman for Marudi - one of the state constituencies under Baram - would continue to support the BN candidate, especially as he declared himself to be pro-BN.     

Entri was among five other former SPDP leaders, including another vice-president Tiki Lafe, the incumbent Mas Gading MP, sacked for alleged insubordination in November 2011.     

SPDP has since nominated Anthony Nogeh, currently Sarawak Land Consolidation And Rehabilition Authority (Salcra) deputy general manager, to defend Mas Gading, for which Tiki has been lobbying to stand as a direct BN candidate under the BN club, which, however, is not a registered political party.     

Incumbent Saratok MP Jelaing Mersat and Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing are expected to defended the remaining two SPDP seats in the coming polls.         

- Bernama