BN can win seats in Chinesemajority areas if SUPP, UPP make up – Dr Rundi

SIBU: Barisan Nasional (BN) will have better chance of winning in Chinese-majority areas if Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) and United People's Party (UPP) close ranks and work handin-hand with each other.

State BN secretary-general Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi expressed this confidence when asked on the possibility of SUPP and UPP ironing out their differences before the coming 14th general election (GE14).

“I'm confident, once they (SUPP and UPP) resolve their differences and prepare to work together, BN in Chinese majority areas will stand a better chance to win,” he told The Borneo Post on Saturday.

For the record, six urban parliamentary seats in predominantly Chinese areas are currently held by the opposition – Bandar Kuching, Stampin, Sarikei, Sibu and Lanang by DAP while Miri is under PKR.

Last November, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) academician Assoc Prof Dr Jeniri Amir told The Borneo Post that the two Chinesebased parties should no longer operate separately but instead must focus on the need to serve the Chinese community the best they could through BN.

The political analyst believed that if both parties could bury the hatchet, BN would be able to recapture Sarikei and Sibu in GE14.

Jeniri further believed that if SUPP and UPP could work together, BN Sarawak could increase their present seats from 25 to 27 in GE14.

Meanwhile, on a related matter, Dr Rundi, who is Minister of Utilities, is optimistic about BN performing better this time around compared to the last general election.

In the 2013 parliamentary polls, BN won 25 out of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak.

SUPP contested in seven seats but only managed to defend its Serian seat, which has been held by its deputy president Dato Sri Richard Riot since 1990.

The other three BN component parties; namely PBB, PRS and PDP, won all the seats they contested – PBB (14), PRS (six) and PDP (four).

Dr Rundi said the BN coalition expected a one-to-one fight with the opposition pact this time around unlike in GE13 when there was dispute over seats allocation in the opposition camp.