Nogeh confident of beating Dr Tiki again

KUCHING: Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Datuk Anthony Nogeh Gumbek is confident that he can retain the Mas Gading parliamentary seat despite rumours that former Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe is making a comeback for the second time.

“It’s not for me to announce my own candidacy. We leave that to the top BN leadership. But if given the chance, I’m confident to defend the seat for the Barisan Nasional (BN),” Nogeh told The Borneo Post here yesterday.

Speculation is rife that Dr Tiki, who is a former Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development, is going the seat for the second time after he was defeated by Nogeh in the last general election, during which he (Dr Tiki) stood as an Independent.

“I can’t comment on his (Dr Tiki’s) intention to run for the general election yet. Let’s wait and see,” said Nogeh.

In the last general election, Nogeh, who is also Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) secretary-general, won the seat with a majority of 2,156 votes against Dr Tikie and two other candidates, namely Mordi Bimol of DAP and Patrick Anek Uren of STAR. Nogeh polled 8,265 votes.

When contacted, PDP president Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said his party is confident of delivering all its four seats for BN in the upcoming general election.

“Of course we are confident. But as far as the candidates are concerned, we leave it to the top BN leadership to make the announcement,” he said.

Besides Tiong, who will most probably be defending his Bintulu seat and Nogeh in Mas Gading, two other PDP candidates will be fielded in Saratok and Baram.

Meanwhile, Nogeh urged the Home Ministry to expedite the construction of customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) centre at Serikin to monitor border movement in the thriving border post.

“We have to do it because the Indonesian Government is doing theirs. So we must have ours as well to monitor border security,” he said.