By-election a barometer for state polls
The Sibu parliamentary constituency has 54,695 voters, of which 66% are Chinese voters who are predominatly Chinese Foochow. The rest are Malay/Melanau voters forming about 17%, followed by Ibans (15%). The rest are Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and Indian voters.
Free Malaysia Today
As battle lines are drawn for the Sibu parliamentary by-election on May 16, it goes without saying that this will certainly be a closely-watched event. Sarawak DAP chairman Richard Wong Ho Leng’s fight with newcomer and greenhorn Robert Lau Hui Yew of SUPP to wrest the seat will not just generate great interest among the public, but that of political pundits and operatives, as well.
Winning the Sibu seat means a lot for both sides of the political divide as they gear up for the state election which is expected to be called before July, next year. The result of the by-election also has a significant bearing at national-level.
A DAP victory will mean SUPP is going to suffer in the coming state election as what they had experienced in the 2006 state election. Likewise, a SUPP win would mean that the party is on track to regain lost ground.
“This is the reason why the Sibu by-election not only generates interest, but is viewed as very important as it would determine the degree of Chinese support for the Barisan Nasional, particularly SUPP,” said a veteran politician.
The politican said SUPP was likely to put to the test, its ‘rejuvenating and recovery plan’ in the coming by-election so that any weakness could be rectified in time for the coming state election to help it recapture the eight seats it lost in the last election.
