Uncontested seats win a morale booster for BN - Adenan

Tan Sri Adenan Satem said the two uncontested seats won by Barisan Nasional at nomination today in the Sarawak state election were "a morale booster for the party".

The Sarawak BN chairman said it was a sign that the opposition had no consensus at all.

"Of course, it is a moral booster for us and a moral letdown for the opposition. The opposition pact is very loose. No consensus, and they are not coming together," the Sarawak Chief Minister told a press conference here at the close of nomination.

The Election Commission announced that the two seats - Bukit Sari and Bukit Kota - contested by incumbents Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan and Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail, respectively, were won without contest by BN.

Adenan, the BN candidate for the Tanjung Datu seat, said Sarawak BN went into the election with only one agenda, that is to continue creating opportunities and giving the best service to the 'rakyat' (people).

The opposition had their own and separate agenda and only for the sake of the election, he said when asked about the clash between the opposition parties over certain seats.

The Batu Kitang seat saw PKR fielding Voon Shiak Ni while DAP nominated Abdul Aziz Isa for in a five-cornered fight that also involved BN's Lo Khere Chiang from SUPP, the Padawan Municipal Council chairman, and independent candidates Sulaiman Kadir and Othman Bojeng.

Adenan said BN went into the election with the confidence that "we can get a majority of seats to continue to form the next government".

Touching on the campaign, Adenan advised the BN machinery and supporters to work hard and not to take things for granted.

On the BN manifesto, which is scheduled to be unveiled tomorrow, Adenan said it would be different from past manifestos of the party.

"It will consist of not only what we will do, but what we have done. There will be two manifestos. One on what we have done, and what we can do," he said.

The state legislative assembly was dissolved on April 11 to pave the way for the election.

Polling is on May 7.