Tiong bewildered at drop in Chinese support

BINTULU: Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing is unhappy with the dip in support for Barisan Nasional ( BN) from the Chinese community here during the May 5 13th general election, saying it was one of the factors contributing to his small winning margin.

The newly re-elected Bintulu MP said this was in contrast to the very high majority he obtained in the 12th general election in 2008 when he had the support of both rural and urban voters .

“I do not understand why people who live in the town of Bintulu don't support BN, all this while I have been giving the best service to them in helping to solve their problems,” he said in a press conference at Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) Bintulu office here yesterday.

However, Tiong praised the Malay community here for giving him their total support, and acknowledged the support from the Dayak community which somewhat had been reduced due to some unresolved issues.

He cautioned that the drastic decline of support from the Chinese community for BN should not be taken lightly but told the Chinese that as a minority group here, they must bring up issues or problems they faced.

“Any issues or problems that occur should be settled amicably through negotiation and open discussion to allow me to understand what exactly the Chinese community wants instead of concealing their feeling,” he said. The SPDP deputy president defeated DAP's candidate Dr John Brian Anthony by a 7,433vote majority, much less than the majority of 14,965 votes he obtained in 2008.