GE14 | Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen has accused SUPP of engaging in “money politics" after encountering a group of minors wearing the party colours of SUPP.

Last Saturday, Chong conducted a walkabout before submitting his nomination papers for Stampin when he met with a group of boys wearing what he says were SUPP T-shirts.

When he asked them how much ‘gaji’ (wages) they received for wearing the T-shirts, they said they were paid RM100 per person.

“Now that is money politics. These boys could not have been more than 16 to 17 years of age, according to my estimate,” he said, backing up his claim with a video recording shown at a press conference in Kuching yesterday.

Given that the brief video recording lacked clarity, the authenticity of what Chong claimed had transpired could not be determined, but it does show him dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt talking to a group of young boys.

He further alleged that SUPP had mobilised many young people to be present in large numbers at the nomination centre at the Kota Padawan Municipal Council by paying them cash.

The state Pakatan Harapan chief also pointed out that paying people to come out and participate in what could be deemed an illegal assembly runs afoul of the law, as well as hiring minors.

Raised the matter with Sim

When pressed, Chong denied deliberately engaging in a ‘fault-finding’ mission by setting up the recording, and noted that he has brought the matter up with SUPP president Dr Sim Kui Han.

“I confronted Sim on the matter, but he threatened to lodge a police report against me on my allegation.

“It is now three days after the event, but Sim is yet to lodge a police report against me,” he said.

Chong added that he would give Sim another two days to lodge his report, before filing one of his own on the alleged election offence.

Both are vying for the Stampin parliamentary seat, in one of the more heated battles in the state.

Chong was shifted from the relative safety of his Bandar Kuching incumbency to face off against Sim, citing the 28,000 voters in Batu Lintang were delineated into the constituency from Stampin.

In the 2013 general election, DAP’s Julian Tan won the Chinese-majority seat with an 18,670-vote majority over SUPP’s Yong Khoon Hian.