SPDP Rebel G5 Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe bantah senarai calon BN Sarawak dan akan bertanding lawan calon disenaraikan BN

Dr Tiki joins the fray

by Samuel Aubrey and Kadam Saai, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on April 19, 2013, Friday

CONGRATULATIONS: Dr Tiki (right) and National Service (NS) Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil place the rank insignia on a trainee during the launching of the state-level National Service Volunteer Brigade at Puncak Permai Camp in Tondong near Bau yesterday.

Incumbent Mas Gading MP to defend seat as BN-friendly independent candidate, claims support from voters

KUCHING: Incumbent Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe, who was left out of the Barisan Nasional (BN) list of candidates, announced that he will defend his seat as a BN friendly independent candidate at a dinner hosted for his supporters at Bau Civic Centre last night.

The State BN had on Tuesday announced former Salcra deputy general manager Anthony Nogeh Gumbek from Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) as its candidate to replace Dr Tiki, who had been partyless after being sacked by SPDP over a year ago for gross insubordination.

Dr Tiki, in his speech during the dinner, claimed the decision was made following calls from the people in Mas Gading for him to stand as they wanted to see the constituency remain under BN.

“The strong support that the people give me, and my great concern that Mas Gading may fall to the opposition, give me the reason to contest and there will be no turning back,” he said.

Dr Tiki served for three terms as Mas Gading MP since 1999. Despite being dropped from a deputy minister post in 2008, he was appointed as National Service Training Council chairman, a post he holds till today.

With Dr Tiki entering the fray, this predominantly Bidayuh constituency could have the most number of candidates in the general election in the state.

A former banker Boniface Willy Tumek, 55, was named as PKR candidate for the seat during a press conference at the state party headquarters here last night.

This was despite DAP already confirming aquatic science graduate Mordi Bimol, 28, as the candidate for the same seat during a press conference held earlier yesterday in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

At the packed PKR press conference, the party national operations centre director Sabaruddin Mohd Yasim announced Willy as among the final list of 14 candidates from PKR to contest in the state.

All the candidates were also issued letters of authorisation to use PKR logo when submitting their nomination forms tomorrow.

Sabaruddin, however, refused to comment on two Pakatan candidates contesting against each other for the votes in Mas Gading. “This is the final list from us, and I was given the mandate by the de-facto leader (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) to announce it here tonight”.

“There is still tonight (last night) and tomorrow (today) for negotiations to be made (to avert Pakatan contesting against one another). All these talk of multi-cornered fights are just speculations for now, just wait for the nomination day (to know what happened next),” he said.

PKR state chairman Baru Bian and Willy who were hopeful that DAP would withdraw from contesting in Mas Gading.

Baru said PKR would not give up the seat, while Willy said the bigger attendances at PKR ceramah showed that PKR had better chances than DAP in wresting the seat from BN .

STAR had announced last month that a former MP Patrick Anek Uren, who represented Mas Gading from 1974 until 1986, would be its candidate.

The stage is now set for a five-cornered fight in Mas Gading but the main battle is likely to be between Nogeh and Dr Tiki.