Vital to wrest back lost seats for voice in BN, SUPP chief tells Chinese community

KUCHING: The Chinese community are warned about possibility of ‘losing their voice again’ in the state Barisan Nasional ( BN), if all the six Chinese urban seats were to fall to the opposition once again in this parliamentary election.

Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said they should not fall for the propaganda now being used by the opposition to tempt voters – that these seats must be won by the opposition in order for Pakatan Harapan ( PH) to form the new government.

“This is a propaganda by the opposition. Because of this, there is perception that these six Chinese urban seats in Sarawak are the key to the downfall of the (Prime Minister) Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak-led government.

“But if these seats fall to the opposition again, it would be a big loss for Chinese voice in Sarawak BN. This had happened before in the 2011 state election and the 2013 parliamentary election,” he told reporters here yesterday.

Dr Sim, who is BN candidate for Stampin in the parliamentary polls, said as experienced after the 2013 election, there was no Chinese voice in Sarawak BN since the other 25 seats won by Sarawak BN were Bumiputera seats, including Serian which is held by SUPP.

“The opposition has been using all sorts of propaganda in order for BN to lose these Chinese urban seats. It is as if they want Sarawakian Chinese to have no voice.

“I remember in the 2011 state election, their strategy was telling the voters to not vote for Dr Sim so that he could go back to work in hospital,” he said.

Nonetheless, Dr Sim recalled that the strategy used by the late chief minister Pehin Sri Adenan Satem in the 2016 state election succeeded in winning back Chinese seats lost to the opposition in 2011. Adenan had then told the Chinese voters to vote for Dr Sim and SUPP if they wanted their voice to be heard in the state cabinet.

On another matter, Dr Sim ticked off DAP Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen for continuously discouraging foreign investment from China to Malaysia. Chong is also Dr Sim’s opponent in the straight fight for Stampin.

Referring to Chong’s recent statement, Dr Sim said Sarawak BN welcomes foreign investment to boost the state’s economy – unlike Chong, who wanted to restrict such investment.

“I am surprised that he said things like that. Then what about Penang and Selangor ( held by PH), which have direct foreign investments, including those from China? These two states should start it first ( by stopping investment from China),” said Dr Sim.

Chong, on Thursday, had said that PH would review foreign investment from China should it come into power.

Dr Sim said Chong always had things to say to belittle the efforts by the state government, including the talks on getting back state’s rights as accorded under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 ( MA63).

“He always tries to belittle the state BN government. For example, when the late Tok Nan (Adenan) was alive, he said things that doubted what the chief minister was doing. But after Tok Nan passed away, he then said Tok Nan was a great chief minister,” said Dr Sim.