Be courageous and dump BN, DAP tells voters

BN is also trying to be attractive by fielding 20 new faces and dropping Larry Sng, the party-less Pelagus assemblyman.

KUCHING: DAP is banking on young and courageous candidates in the hope of changing the fate of Sarawak for the better.
The party’s secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, in naming the party’s candidates for the state election, called upon the people of Sarawak to fight with them in making the change.
‘In a sense we are asking the people of Sarawak to have the courage to stand up. Do you have the courage to stand up?
“If Sarawak dares to stand up, Malaysia will dare to step forward for a new era of democracy and justice, freedom and prosperity,” he said.
“This election is so important that it can be likened to the ‘battle of the century’ for Sarawak,” he added.
He asked the people of Sarawak whether they still want the Barisan Nasional to continue to have the totalitarian greed of the affairs of Sarawak until the people are unable to live not only freely but the prosperity that they rightly deserve.

He said this after unveiling Sarawak DAP’s five candidates for the southern region.
The candidates are: Leon Jimat Donald for N27 Simanggang; Christina Chew (N13 Batu Kawah); Chong Chieng Jen (N12 Kota Sentosa); Violet Yong (N10 Pending) and Wong King Wei (N 9 Padungan).
The youngest of the five is Chew, who is only 26-years-old and the holder of a master’s degree in biochemistry; three of them – Wong, 31, Yong, 32, and Chong, 39 – are lawyers, while Leon, 33, is a diploma holder from United Kingdom.
Ten other candidates for the northern region were announced in Sibu.
“Our candidates are not only young, but also have the courage to fight for democracy, justice and the rights of the people,” he said.
He also told the Sarawak voters not to trust Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud’s retirement plan – due to kick off in the mid term after this election.
“Can you trust Taib? Do you trust him? I still remember SUPP chairman George Chan announcing that he wanted to retire in the last election. Did he retire?”
“No, he continued again. So if the BN wins again, they will use this as an excuse to go on and on,” he said.
He said that the only way to get rid of the BN leaders was by making sure they don’t win in the April 16 state polls.
Seven new faces in Sibu
Meanwhile in Sibu, state DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng announced 10 candidates for the northern region.
Apart from the three incumbents – Ting Tze Fui (Meradong), Chew Chin Sing (Kidurong) and Wong Ho Leng (Bukit Assek) – DAP has picked seven new faces.
They are Alice Lau Kiong Yieng, who is to face Wong Soon Koh in Bawang Assan, Yap Hoi Liong (Dudong), Leong Kwong Yaw (Bukit Kota), Ling Sie Kiong who is chosen to fight SUPP president George Chan in Piasau, Wong Hua She (Repok), David Wong Kee Woan (Pelawan) and Fong Pau Teck (Pujut).
In presenting the candidates to the press, Wong believed that the party’s line-up of candidates for the coming state election was the best so far.
“We are targeting to win all the seats that we are contesting,” he said.
Stand off with the police
Last night, Lim’s ceramah in Kuching – where he had named the five candides – was marred by the police who insisted that the meeting was illegal.
About 200 DAP supporters at the ceramah became angry when district police chief Mun Kok Kiong led a team to the stage to seize a microphone from state leader Chong Chieng Jen who was addressing the crowd.
Also present at the ceramah was DAP national advisor Lim Kit Siang.
Mun’s decision to snatch the microphone caused several DAP supporters to rush to the stage to face-off with the police, causing a moment of tension between the two parties.
Chong told Mun that the event was held at the party’s premises and was only the launching of the party’s mobilization programme and announcement of candidates. The officer however insisted that they must stop and the crowd must disperse.
Later talking to the media, Chong said that the police force appeared to be a part and parcel of Barisan Nasional.
“It looks like that the force is the 15th member of Barisan Nasional,” he added.
The Barisan Nasional announced its list of candidates today – fielding 20 new faces in the 71 seats, including four women. It also dropped Larry Sng, the party-less Pelagus assemblyman.