Tiong's reputation gives him an edge but SUPP factor may be decider

SARAWAK POLLS | Voters in Dudong are no stranger to having their dug-out drains flooding during the December monsoon month. This year, they have to deal with a torrent of candidates and promises as well.

There are eight candidates for Dudong, the most crowded race in this state election.

However, there are two factors that make Dudong one of the most closely watched races. Firstly, veteran politician and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Tiong King Sing is being fielded here. Secondly, Dudong is usually reserved for PDP's ally Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP).

Tiong, who is both the Bintulu MP and Special Envoy to China, immediately played the hometown boy card to deal with claims that he had parachuted "200km" from his power base.

He explained in his maiden campaign presser that he was in fact born in Sibu and he had relations here. He even distributed photographs of his family home to prove it.

Although there are eight candidates, most of the campaign material dotting the constituency belongs to Tiong and DAP's Paul Ling, 39, a political novice.

Tiong, 60, has been an MP since 1991 and is a very successful businessman. However, his billboards ignore those achievements; instead, he is portrayed as a grassroots hero, sometimes donning work clothes and a hard hat.

While he may carry the "Datuk Seri" title, Tiong's Chinese materials do not refer to him in the first person but as "little brother", a symbol of his humility.

His motto for his campaign is "Restructure, Rebuild and Thrive" or "2R1T". His main campaign message is that he would resolve flooding woes, upgrade dug-out drains into concrete ones, deepen the Rajang River and provide proper internet access.

Tiong began his campaign by granting interviews to multiple news outlets. His social media campaign is conducted in four languages. He makes his campaign rounds quietly, without notifying the press.

In contrast, Ling's campaign has been off to a slow start. His Facebook page was set up only on Dec 5, a day before nomination day. Most of the content is in Chinese, although around 47 percent of the constituents here are not Chinese.

During his walkabout on Dec 8, he was a bit awkward and docile, relying mostly on his seniors David Wong (Pelawan incumbent assemblyperson) and Irene Chang (Bukit Assek assemblyperson) to make introductions.

Even in party colours, Ling struggled to stand out as a candidate and get his message across. At one point, a passer-by even inquired if he was an independent candidate.

Sarawak DAP performed best during the 2011 campaign, at the height of the movement to oust Taib Mahmud as chief minister, relying heavily on big rallies in major cities to spread its message.

But with Covid-19 protocols being enforced, the wind has been taken out of the DAP's sails. Instead, the party is forced to engage in face-to-face and door-to-door campaigning - an arduous task for the Dudong constituency, which is the biggest in the state.

Voter disappointment

It was observed that when voters engaged with the DAP entourage, the words of encouragement for being the opposition were more muted than in previous campaigns.

Several Dudong voters who had voted for DAP or Pakatan Harapan before told Malaysiakini that they were disappointed with Harapan's performance in recent years and in contrast, Tiong had been very vocal about Sarawakian affairs.

One voter, who wanted to be known only as Yong, 40, said he voted for Harapan during the last election because he believed that BN was corrupt.

However, Harapan did not fulfil its pledge to channel 20 percent of Sarawak's oil and gas revenue back to the state. This, said Yong, made him very resentful of Harapan.

"I'll be frank with you. I'm very happy that Tiong is coming to Dudong," he said.

Another voter, who wished to be known only as Chang, 42, echoed similar sentiments and was critical of the SUPP councillors for failing to resolve local problems, such as flooding and traffic jams, despite having held office for several decades.

Chang said this time around, would choose solely based on his perceived quality of the candidate and not the parties or coalitions.

Given Bintulu's progress in recent years, Chang said he was putting his faith in Tiong.

"If we can have a GSC cinema, a Uniqlo or any big brands in Dudong, that would be good. Here, we have nothing that even resembles a shopping mall," he said.

The SUPP factor

Based on initial voter responses so far, Tiong's reputation has him at an advantage. His perceived biggest weakness would be whether he could convince Dudong SUPP members to back him.

One Sibu SUPP member, Nicholas Jamin, told Malaysiakini that there are members who are disgruntled with the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leadership for allowing PDP to field a candidate instead of SUPP.

The Dudong seat has been allocated to SUPP for decades. SUPP had nominated a candidate for Dudong for this election but the GPS leadership decided to give way to Tiong.

Thus, Nicholas said, he was unsure if the SUPP members would back Tiong.

Dudong SUPP branch chairperson Wong Ching Yong, when contacted, said he was aware of the matter and would release a statement soon. At the time of writing, Malaysiakini has not received the statement.

"Our president Sim Kui Hian did not betray the Dudong branch (during seat negotiations)," Wong said, curtly.

During his interviews, Tiong had urged SUPP members to work as a team in the GPS spirit, while alluding that his party would do the same for SUPP candidates elsewhere in the country.

In 2016, the Sarawak BN candidate won the Dudong seat, but with only 46 percent of the votes cast, with the DAP candidate coming in second with 36.1 percent of the votes cast.

In 2016, Sarawak BN candidate Tiong Thai King won the Dudong seat, but with only 46 percent of the votes cast, with the DAP candidate Yap Hoi Liong coming in second with 36.1 percent of the votes cast.

However, Thai King and Yap have issued statements to back Tiong. Thai King was with PSB during his tenure as Dudong assemblyperson.

Against this backdrop and disgruntlement among SUPP supporters and against Harapan, the race is difficult to call and may even open up opportunities for the other five candidates.

 Election pledges so far:

GPS promises continuity, independence from other political forces

Sarawak polls: PSB pledges freehold land, secularism, reforestation

PBK promises RM3k, independence, end to statelessness