GE14 all about choosing MPs who will stand up for S’wak in Parliament, says SUPP’s Foo
KUCHING: The 14th general election ( GE14) should be about choosing representatives who can speak louder in Parliament in fighting for state’s rights.
In stressing this, SUPP Youth Central publicity secretary Milton Foo believed that Sarawakians should elect parliamentarians who could exert more influence in Dewan Rakyat in order to regain the autonomous rights for Sarawak.
“This should be the determining factor in electing the right MP for Bandar Kuching – the heart of Sarawak – in the next parliamentary elections,” he said when contacted Monday.
Foo was asked whether he would contest in Bandar Kuching in GE14, and also if SUPP could wrest the parliamentary seat from DAP.
In response, he said: “Nothing is impossible in politics, and no one is impeccable in politics.”
Foo, who is from the Pending branch of SUPP, said many supporters had advised him against contesting in GE14; rather, he should wait for the next state election.
“( It’s) because they feel that Chong (Chieng Jen) is too strong and (it’s) hard to win (against him). He’s the number one DAP strongman in Sarawak.
“Chong has been MP for Bandar Kuching for more than 10 years. Is our life in Kuching city better or more improved now than it was 13 years ago?”
Chong was fi rst elected Bandar Kuching MP in 2004, and won again in the 2008 and 2013 elections – his winning vote-majority increased from 2,041 in 2004 to 19,642 in 2013.
Asked whether he regarded Chong as a formidable opponent, Foo said: “To me, every opponent has his own supporters, and has equal chance to win in any election.”
Foo said he would not be disappointed at all if SUPP did not recommend him to stand in Bandar Kuching.
“I’m just one of the potential candidates. Let the public decide who the most active one on the ground is. Let the party decide who the most winnable candidate is for Bandar Kuching.”
On him actively continuing to serve the community after his defeat in the state election last year, Foo said: “I’m active not because of GE14, but because I had promised my Pending voters that I would continue to serve them, even after I lost in the last state election.”
He added that he was accountable for the 7,442 people in Pending, who voted for him last year – Foo lost to DAP’s Violet Yong, who polled 12,454 votes.
In his response to another question, Foo said politics should never be about how good a politician or leader could stir up people’s emotions or instigate hatred against the government.
“I always believe that a great leader or politician is someone who not only can bring hope to the people, but can also materialise that hope,” he said.