Be smart and practical, Bidayuh told

A Bidayuh community leader has advised

Bidayuh voters in Bengoh and Tarat constituencies to be practical and make smart decision in the coming State election.
Pemanca Austin Dimin (Bidayuh Pemanca for Kuching Division) gave his advice in response to call made by the opposition to change the people representatives in the two Bidayuh majority seats.
“Who will give the Bidayuh the development we need if we choose to accept the opposition to become our representative?” asked Dimin.
He said the Bidayuh should’t follow the Chinese way of politics as the community are already rich and are residing in the town areas where all the facilities are already made available for them.
“We must think of those poor people who are staying in the villages,” he said.
Dimin also said the need for the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) to change the incumbent Dr Jerip with new face should not arise at all.
He said both Dr Jerip and Roland Sagah,who is the incumbents for Tarat constituency are capable representatives and has delivered effective services to the rakyat.
Dimin was of the opinion that new candidates may not be able to serve the people effectively unlike Dr Jerip and Roland who already have their foundation and had effectively served the rakyat.
“If BN decides to field new candidates then there will be no continuity and they will have to start all over again unlike Dr Jerip and Sagah who are already well verse of the people needs and issues in their respective constituency,” said Dimin.
Hence Dimin strongly advised SUPP leadership to retain Dr Jerip Susil in Bengoh seat, adding they shouldn’t be blind folded to accept new candidate.
He also advised the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) leadership to retain Roland in Tarat.
“SUPP must field Dr Jerip. If not the party leadership have to think twice because who is the better candidate rather than Dr Jerip.
“In the last four years he has done a very good job,” added Dimin.
Dimin also urged the party leadership be supportive of the requests from their representatives in the Bidayuh areas.
On the voting trend in Bengoh and Tarat, Dimin believed the Chinese voters will split but wouldn’t be too bad among the Bidayuh voters.
Dr Jerip he said however will have to work extra hard to convince the voters as there are several issues in his constituency need to be tackled including the NCR land, Bengoh Dam and logging activities in Krongkong.
Meanwhile Willie Mongin, a computer consultant working with a multi-national firm in Kuala Lumpur, and is from Kampung Bratan along Jalan Puncak Borneo and Peter Ato, a former defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (SPDP) Supreme Council Member who hailed from Padawan has expressed in the open their intention to contest in Bengoh and Tarat respectively under Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) banner.