By ROBERET KENNETH
Parti Pesaka
Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Tasik Biru and Opar branch chairman John Nyigor and
Dato’ Peter Minos has issued a stern warning that it will be Barisan Nasional’s
biggest mistake to renominate incumbent Mas Gading MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe to
defend the seat in the 13th general election.
Nyigor said
Dr Tiki had never been able to consolidate his grassroots support from the
first day he was voted as MP.
“In fact, Dr
Tiki’s popularity graph continued to slide at the polls,” Nyigor said, as he
read out figures to substantiate his argument.
In 1999 Dr
Tiki garnered 10,684 votes. This dropped to 10,579 in 2004 and 8,557 in 2008;
while his closest contender Dr Patau Rubis of STAR garnered 6,664 votes in
1999, 7,867 in 2004 and 4,250 in 2008.
Nyigor, who
was addressing a joint gathering organised by SPDP Tasik Biru and Opar at the
house of prominent businessman Majen Minos here yesterday night, said a lot of
factors did not favour Dr Tiki if he were to be renominated.
He said far
from being the winnable candidate that the Group of 5 (G5) claimed that he was,
the partyless Dr Tiki would be BN’s incumbrance.
He said Dr
Tiki was known in Mas Gading as an unfriendly character who hardly ever
connected with voters and the common folk.
“Dr Tiki as
direct BN candidate in Mas Gading will surely lose in the election,” he
stressed, adding that those who used to be behind his previous victories now
rejected him.
Nyigor said
he and Opar PBB chairman Datuk Peter Minos were fighting very hard for Tiki to
become BN candidate in 1999 but now both were against any decision to
re-nominate Dr Tiki because the incumbent had lost a lot of ground support.
He said the
incumbent MP had won in the past solely because he was standing on BN ticket
and coalition members like PBB and SUPP felt obliged to support him out of BN
brotherhood.
“But now
that he is partyless, and SPDP has got its own candidate to field, the support
of coalition members are with SPDP’s nominee,” Nyigor said, adding that SPDP’s
machinery and the machinery of the BN in Mas Gading as a whole had been geared
towards ensuring that SPDP’s nominee would win the election.
“Since SPDP
has made known that it has picked Anthony Nogeh (the Salcra deputy general
manager) we will give him our fullest support,” added Nyigor.
Minos, who
also spoke at the gathering, was very blunt about his observation of the
political goings-on in Mas Gading.
He said Dr
Tiki was no longer a winnable candidate from the day he was dropped from his
post of Rural and Regional Development Deputy Minister after the 2008 election.
Minos said
today Dr Tiki had lost all the support he would need to win Mas Gading because
being partyless meant that he had no machinery to face the polls.
“All he has
is the G5 or the BN Club, and if G5 strongly believes Dr Tiki can win, then put
him up as an independent.
“We in the
Mas Gading BN will make sure that he lose and regret that he ever entered the
fray,” Minos said.
Dr Tiki was
sacked from SPDP in 2011 over alleged indiscipline and insubordination together
with four other assemblymen Datuk Peter Nansian Nguse (Tasik Biru), Datuk
Sylvester Entrie Muran (Marudi), Rosey Yunus (Bekenu) and Paulus Palu Gumbang
(Batu Danau).
Dr Tiki
together with the four, known as the G5, set up the BN Club, an illegal
establishment as it has never been registered with the Registrar of Societies
(ROS).
On this,
Minos said he had read BN constitution which says that a person is a BN member
if he or she is a member of any BN component party.
“In Dr
Tiki’s case he has been sacked from SPDP and automatically his membership is
ceased and so he is not eligible to be direct BN candidate,” said Minos.
Minos went
on to express his full support for BN to nominate Nogeh as the new BN candidate
in Mas Gading, saying he believed Nogeh was not only a better person but
capable of doing a much better job than Dr Tiki.
About 200
people attended the gathering which was held to introduce Nogeh as the
candidate in Mas Gading.
To the group
of five (G5), Minos told them to stop disturbing BN and stop sabotaging BN.
“PBB isn't
amused,” said Minos, adding that those calling themselves BN - friendly or
pro-BN ought to help BN all the way
instead of creating havoc to BN’s ground
activities and functions.
“We in PBB
Opar have solid evidences that some people are really hostile to BN by their
words and actions.
“At times
they even subtlely disturb PBB and community functions. This is definitely not
BN- friendly but BN-hostility,” he added.
Minos said
it will be very tough for BN if it is being subverted from within.
“I hope when
BN top leaders make the final decision on the candidates the recalcitrant ones
will turn a new leaf and act like true BN.
“A united BN
is formidable and can beat Pakatan in Mas Gading as elsewhere. Unity is BN's
strength and disunity is its worst enemy,” he said.
He said PBB
Opar agreed with the deputy prime minister’s recent statement that action will
be taken against any BN member sabotaging BN in any form, direct or indirect.
“BN cannot
win the people's hearts and minds with renegades around,” he added.
Sarawak
Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) vice president Ryan Narong is highly
confident that Anthony Nogeh will be nominated as Barisan Nasional (BN)
candidate in Mas Gading and not the partyless incumbent MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe.
“The Chief Minister
during SPDP Annual General Meeting in Bintulu last year had said he would not
interfere in SPDP choice of candidate while the Deputy Prime Minister (Tan Sri
Muhyiddin Yassin) had said in Siniawan that there will be no direct BN
candidate in the coming general election.
“The Prime
Minister also did not say that there will be direct candidate …he merely said he
did not want to jump the gun and that does mean that there will definitely be
direct BN candidate.
“Even if
there is (direct BN candidate) I believe that it would be in Mas Gading because
the party has stated its stand that it want its own pick for the seat,” said
Ryan who is SPDP Opar chief.
He said SPDP
Supremne Councul has agreed that Nogeh to be BN candidate for Mas Gading
because the party believed he is the most winnable candidate compare to Dr
Tiki.
Ryan said
Nogeh is more popular than Dr Tike as he has helped many people in the area though
Salcra land development projects.
“He has
helped to develop the local community land for oil palm estates through Salcra
and many land owners are already well off now with of them receiving RM30,000
to RM50,000 yearly dividend,” said Ryan at SPDP gathering held at Majen’s house
here yesterday night.
Hence, Ryan
called on all the voters in Mas Gading to give their full support to Nogeh in
the election to ensure BN retain Mas Gading seat.
“We should
support somebody like Nogeh who can help to improve the people economy,” he
added.
Meanwhile
SPDP Tasik Biru chairman Michael Sitien said the gathering was to introduce
Nogeh as the candidate and to meet party workers for the coming General
Election.
He said BN
has set more than 40 District Polling Centres with 20 persons manning each
centre.
“The BN
machineries in Mas Gading are all ready for the election,” he added.
Sitien who
is from Singai area also stressed that Nogeh is the right choice of candidate
for BN in the constituency.
Nogeh also
spoke saying that he is well prepared for the challenge and all the BN
component parties for their support.
About 200
people attended the gathering including several village chiefs and
representatives from PBB, SUPP and PRS.
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