Chong Chieng Jen at a recent press conference.
KUCHING (Jan 18): Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen has urged political punters to stop spreading rumors of seat-swapping in his party for the state election, amid concern over the current surge in Covid-19 cases.
The Kota Sentosa assemblyman said the government has declared a state of Emergency to deal with the pandemic sweeping the country, and all matters related to elections should be put on hold.
“This is not the correct time to talk about the election. The government has announced a state of emergency, and all election matters are to be put on hold. It is the time that we address the plight of the people,” he said when contacted this afternoon.
He was asked to comment on claims that he would be contesting in Batu Kawa and that DAP’s Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong would be shifting to Batu Kitang.
In the 2016 state election, DAP’s Abdul Aziz Isa had contested in Batu Kitang, and Christina Chiew had contested in Batu Kawa.
The current Batu Kawa assemblyman is Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) president Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, while the Batu Kitang assemblyman is Padawan Municipal Council chairman Lo Khere Chiang.
Yong, when contacted, said that it would be inconsiderate to comment on election related matters while the people are struggling to cope with difficulties in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic and state of emergency.
“I have no authority to comment on that also, but I am still serving in Pending. It is not the right time to talk about this. People are worried about the pandemic now, and there is no need to talk about politics at the moment,” she said.
On Jan 2, Chong, who is also Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sarawak chief, announced that the state PH had come to an agreement on seat allocation, with PKR contesting in 47 seats, DAP in 26 seats and Amanah in nine seats.
The 26 DAP seats are Tasik Biru, Padungan, Pending, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kitang, Batu Kawa, Stakan, Mambong, Kedup, Bukit Semuja, Simanggang, Repok, Meradong, Bukit Assek, Dudong, Bawang Assan, Pelawan, Pelagus, Bukit Goram, Baleh, Tanjong Batu, Kemena, Samalaju, Piasau, Pujut and Senadin.