KUCHING: Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) chief advisor Dato Sri Michael Manyin is confident that BN can defend all the eight Bidayuh-majority seats in the coming state election.
The eight state constituencies are Bengoh (to be renamed Mambong), Opar, Tebedu, Tarat, Kedup, Tasik Biru and the newly created Serembu and Bukit Semuja seats.
“The support for BN is still solid among the Bidayuh community. I am confident that BN will retain all the Bidayuh-majority seats and winning the new ones if they are to be given to Bidayuh leaders,” Manyin, who is also PBB vice-president, told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He said the Bidayuh community was fortunate to be given a lot of attention by the government. Though he was not sure if the two new seats would be given to Bidayuh candidates, he was very certain that the Bidayuh community in the two new constituencies of Serembu and Bukit Semuja would give their support to BN candidates.
“For Bidayuh areas, facilities and infrastructure are there. There is no reason for the Bidayuhs not to support BN. In view of our small number, the Bidayuh community has also no choice but to support BN. That is the only way for us to survive. We have to continue to support BN if we want development to be continued in our areas,” said the Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister.
Out of the current six Bidayuh majority seats, candidacy for three of them had been announced: Manyin himself for Tebedu, Martin Ben for Kedup and Datuk Roland Sagah for Tarat. The fate of the other incumbents; namely Datuk Dr Jerip Susil (Bengoh), Datuk Peter Nansian (Tasik Biru) and Ranum Mina (Opar), is yet to be known.
On the candidacy of Dr Jerip and Nansian as well as Ranum, Manyin said it depended on their respective party leadership, and the state BN chairman who has the prerogative to make the final decision.
“I don’t have the authority to nominate any candidate for any election. But once candidates are decided by their respective parties and BN leadership, then it is our duty and responsibility to make sure that they win the seats.
“But when a Bidayuh leader stands in an election, we always stand as a representative of the Bidayuh community, through the BN,” Manyin elaborated.
Due to the strong allegiance the Bidayuh community has for BN all this while, he believed that the opposition would have no chance in the Bidayuh-majority areas.
“Let them (PKR and DAP) squabble among themselves. They can contest in those areas but they pose no threat to us.
“I am confident that the Bidayuhs will give Chief Minister (Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem) and BN full support in the coming state election. BN will win all Bidayuh seats. We are very confident,” Manyin reiterated, referring to recent reports that PKR and DAP were on a collision course over Bukit Semuja, Kedup and Tebedu seats.
Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/10/20/bn-can-win-all-bidayuh-seats-manyin/#ixzz3p81fsljd
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