Sarawak Polls: SUPP faces more rivals for Chinese votes

KUCHING: The upcoming Dec 18 state election will be a bellwether for the Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP) in the fight for Chinese support as more rival parties have ploughed into the race.

In 2016, SUPP won seven of the 13 seats contested, taking six urban or Chinese mixed areas and one Dayak seat.

As a component of the current Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) ruling coalition, the party will stake its claim on 18 seats this time in 15 Chinese and three Dayak areas.

While DAP is a traditional rival, SUPP now has to reckon with more opponents such as new entrants, Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) and Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) for Chinese votes.

But it will be DAP again and PSB that will offer the main challenge to SUPP led by cardiologist Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian, a second-generation politician whose late father, Tan Sri Sim Kheng Hong, was once Deputy Chief Minister.

"In this election, granted SUPP is still facing DAP but it also has a new substantial rival in PSB. How well SUPP could fare is not just against DAP but also PSB. I was told that PSB, though new can put up a strong contest but we don't know how strong it can be," said political analyst Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs,

SUPP is the oldest political entity in the state. It was set up in 1959 and was once a kingmaker in local policies before it fell into decline. The party suffered a huge upset in the 2011 state election when president Tan Sri Dr George Chan was ousted in Piasau by a first-timer from DAP, which grabbed 12 seats at the expense of SUPP in the urban fights that year.

"SUPP has not totally restored itself to its former glory but in a sense, Dr Sim has rehabilitated its image. He is widely considered as somebody who is compassionate, hardworking and at least people don't perceive him as corrupt and the fact that he is putting up new candidates is a good sign," said Oh.

His early call is that SUPP would at least retain the seven seats it won in 2016.

The seven seats include the Batu Kawah seat in Kuching which will be defended by Dr Sim.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah political expert, Dr Lee Kuok Tiung believes SUPP is stronger this time under Dr Sim and that he will repeat his victory in Batu Kawah.

"He does not have the towkay persona and is seen not to be 'highly political'. But that is his special identity, you don't see much of that in others," he said of the SUPP leader who often dons a yellow shirt of the party colours outside his official duties as a state cabinet minister.

Under his leadership, SUPP tested several new candidates in 2011 and they will be fielded again this time.

"The incumbents especially have been doing a good job in taking care of their constituencies, SUPP will do well," said Lee, singling out party secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting who wrested Piasau back in 2016, Datuk Ding Kuong Hing in Meradong and Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii in Repok.

There is talk that SUPP is eyeing to win at least 12 or two-thirds of the 18 seats.

One of them is the hot seat of Padungan where SUPP has fielded Kuching South mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng to take on DAP state chairman Chong Chieng Jen. It will be one of the most-watched contests in the polls.

SUPP has retained its winning incumbents in seven seats -- Batu Kawah, Senadin, Piasau, Meradong, Repok, Batu Kitang and Simanggang. The rest of the seats it is contesting are Padungan, Batu Lintang, Pending, Mambong, Engkilili, Bukit Assek, Dudong, Bawang Assan, Pelawan, Tanjung Batu and Pujut.

-- BERNAMA