Ling silent on request for PKR to return Miri seat to DAP
MIRI: Grassroots supporters of DAP Miri want PKR to return the Miri parliamentary seat to the party in the 14th general election.
State DAP secretary Alan Ling Sik Kiong said he was aware of such calls but preferred to remain mum on the matter in the spirit of consensus and understanding in Pakatan Harapan.
“I am leaving the matter to Pakatan Harapan top leadership to decide and I decline to comment further at this stage,” Ling told The Borneo Post recently.
Rumours have it that DAP Miri is proposing Ling to be their candidate for Miri parliamentary constituency in the 14th general election, speculated to be held as early as April next year.
Ling said Pakatan Harapan in Miri is united and all the component parties work very closely together and believed that whichever party is given the ticket for Miri seat they will go all out to campaign for the candidate.
“We must bear in mind the common political enemy is BN,” he pointed out.
He reminded that the next general election will be a tough battle for Pakatan Harapan, especially in Miri, given the latest swing shown in the last May state election.
“Of course, views from the local grassroots and voters do matter and must be taken into consideration. What is most important is the opposition coalition must be able to deliver the seat in order to achieve our target of a change in the federal government through the ballot box,” Ling stressed.
In 2013, the Miri seat was given to PKR in a last minute arrangement due to DAP’s logo issue.
“That was a painful decision for the DAP but it was made in the spirit of opposition pact to see a one-to- one fight with Barisan Nasional,” Ling said.
PKR’s Dr Michael Teo Yu Kheng won the seat in 2013 election.
Meanwhile, Ling held the post of Piasau assemblyman from 2011 until 2016 when he lost in his bid for re- election, but that defeat did not dampen his passion to serve the people.
He still continues his walkabout, meeting the people and party supporters.
He has been widely commended for being a mature and down-to- earth politician and is well-liked by many quarters.
He also helps the poor and underprivileged on a pro-bono basis in many legal issues.
Ling, 33 years old and born in Sibu, is a practising lawyer in Miri and spent his childhood in Limbang until he was 10 years old when he moved and settled down in Miri.