GPS' Wee to face DAP's Chong, two others in Padungan

KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate Datuk Wee Hong Seng will take on Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen and two others in Padungan in the 12th Sarawak state election.

Padungan returning officer Theresa Korina Peter Legi announced that the other two candidates involved in the four-cornered fight are Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) election director Raymond Thong and Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo.

Thong was the first to arrive at the Kuching South City Council nomination centre at 8 am, followed by Wee (8.18 am), Soo (8.28 am) and Chong (8.30 am).

Chong moved to Padungan, which is traditionally a DAP seat, from Kota Sentosa, which he had held since 2006.

In the 2016 state election, Wong King Wei of DAP won the Padungan seat with a 4,270 majority.

Wong, who was the Sarawak DAP vice-chairman, quit the party in July 2020, citing disillusionment with its direction and management.

Meanwhile, for the Mambong seat, incumbent Datuk Dr Jerip Susil of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) will be involved in a five-cornered fight against Joshua @ Katok Roman of PBK, Sanjan Daik of Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), Chong Siew Hung of Aspirasi and Chang Hon Hiung of DAP.

The nomination process was held at the Siburan Sub-District Office here.

At the 11th state election in 2016, Dr Jerip won the seat for a fourth term, garnering 6,161 votes to defeat Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) Willie Mongin (2,645 votes) and Sanjan (2,828 votes), who represented DAP then.

-- BERNAMA