Opposition Sarawak Reform Party (Star) secretary-general Francis Siah said today that his shock decision to contest in the predominantly-Chinese seat of Batu Lintang in Kuching on an Independent ticket was for "strategic reasons".

Speaking to malaysiakini a day after nominations in Sarawak's eighth state elections, Siah also said that the party's recently-appointed deputy secretary-general Geoffrey Chua withdrew his nomination papers 15 minutes before closing time for the Batu Kawa constituency was "on my directive, also for the same reasons".

As a result of Chua's last-minute withdrawal, the Barisan Nasional candidate Alfred Yap Chin Loi from the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) was returned unopposed in the Chinese-majority seat of Batu Kawa on the outskirts of Kuching.

Siah who is engaged in a three-cornered fight in Batu Lintang - which involves SUPP's Chan Seng Khai, the incumbent and mayor of Kuching City South, and Keadilan Sarawak deputy chief Cheng Hui Hong, a lawyer - said, "Batu Kawa and Batu Lintang are inter-related. We (the Star) did it for strategic reasons."

Explaining further, he said: "We've to go back to the events of the past two weeks. There is a general understanding that DAP takes two seats (Padungan and Pending) and Star, two seats (Batu Lintang and Batu Kawa)in Kuching. Keadilan is not in the picture at all."

Based on that understanding, he added, he went in to file his nomination papers for Batu Lintang.

Keep existing ties with DAP intact

But why as an Independent?

"To prove that Star has all along not had any quarrel with the other opposition party (DAP). So my contesting as an Independent has shown that existing relationship is still intact between Star and DAP."

Interestingly, Siah's press conference today was held not at the party's headquarters at Sg Maong Bazaar, Third Mile, Kuching, but Chua's office in Padungan.

Siah, who is a former journalist, said on Monday Star president Dr Patau Rubis handed over to him two letters of authorisation for him to stand either in Batu Lintang or Batu Kawa as well as letter of authorisation to Chua to stand in Batu Kawa.

"Prior to that I must confess I do not know what transpired between him (Patau) and Keadilan," Siah said. "What is confusing is that he also gave me a mandate to decide on Batu Kawa."

Siah said he exercised his option to contest in Batu Lintang and for "strategic reasons" decided instead to stand on an Independent ticket.

Last-minute pull out

Geoffrey Chua, who was also present at the press conference, said he arrived at the nomination centre for the Batu Kawa constituency at 10 am and filed his nominations straight away.

"Around 10.45am I received a call from Siah asking me to withdraw my nomination papers," Chua told malaysiakini , adding that he was disappointed at not contesting as he had prepared to be a candidate.

"But I had to listen to the directive from the party's secretary-general."

Chua said rumours circulating in town that he had pulled out of the race because he had been offered money had no basis at all.