KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) would have a decent chance of wresting away the Sibu parliamentary seat if the coalition fields Nangka assemblyman Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee as its candidate.
Senior Fellow at the National Council of Professors, Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir said this could leverage on the split votes between Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the local opposition party Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB).
It is expected that the Sibu parliamentary seat would see at least a three-cornered fight between DAP incumbent MP Oscar Ling, PSB president Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh and a candidate from GPS.
Speculation is rife that GPS will field Dr Annuar, the state deputy education minister and three-term Nangka assemblyman. He is the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president.
Nangka is one of the four state seats within the Sibu parliamentary constituency.
While GPS component Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) would traditionally field candidates for the Sibu seat, the academician believes that a change in strategy would be apt.
“Fielding Dr Annuar will be a game changer for GPS. They stand to gain from Wong and Ling’s votes being split,” he said, quoted by national portal FMT.
Jeniri said because of Dr Annuar’s popularity, the PBB man would be the best choice to receive the most votes among Bumiputeras.
He said however, if the Nangka assemblyman is fielded, GPS has to find a way to appease SUPP given their claim of Sibu being the party’s traditional seat.
