PRS identifies Barisan candidate for Batang Ai

Parti Rakyat Sarawak has identified a potential candidate for the Batang Ai by-election.
Its secretary-general Wilfred Nissom said the candidate would ideally be a local from Batang Ai who was known to the voters and had a good record.
“Our president (Datuk Dr James Masing) already has someone in mind. After consulting the party leaders and other Barisan Nasional component parties, he has identified the candidate,” he said when contacted. He said the name of the potential candidate would soon be submitted to the state and federal Barisan leaders for approval.
Dr Masing could not be reached as he was attending a Barisan management meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
Nissom said PRS had no problems with the Batang Ai by-election being held simultaneously with the by-elections for the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in Perak and the Bukit Selambau state seat in Kedah.
“The party is ready for the by-election and our preparations have been going on, so we are comfortable with the dates,” he said.
PKR’s Padungan assemblyman Dominique Ng said a one-to-one fight was likely as DAP and the Sarawak National Party (SNAP) had indicated that they would support PKR’s candidate for the by-election.
“We have at least two potential candidates, both very strong,” he said.
PKR’s potential candidates are believed to be state deputy chairman Nicholas Bawin and former Lubok Antu MP Jawah Gerang.
Ng said PKR was banking on a win in Batang Ai, which is seen as a crucial battle to gauge the support the party had in Sarawak.
Ng said PKR would be stretched if three by-elections are held at the same time.
“We would have to split our resources three ways, making it harder for us to fight in Batang Ai.
“Nevertheless, preparations are well under way for us to contest in Batang Ai,” he said.
In the 2006 state election, Datuk Dublin Unting polled 3,295 votes to defeat Bawin, who contested on a SNAP ticket, by 806 votes in the rural, predominantly Iban constituency.