IN boxing parlance the electoral contest shaping up in Julau is best described as a rumble in the jungle, with a seasoned campaigner who lost his crown to a young upstart back in the ring for a rematch.
By all counts Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum who suffered a shock defeat to Larry Sng in the 2018 general election is looking to avenge his loss, arguably relishing the opportunity.
The rematch in the 15th general election (GE15) this Saturday will see him square off against Sng of Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) and another contender – Susan George from Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru.
But even the least informed will tell you that the real contest is between Salang and Sng.
The fact is Salang has a lot of things riding on this election, hence the wait with bated breath.
A win will see the veteran politician’s career rising from the ashes, so to speak, which can translate to higher office especially if Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) under whose ticket he is contesting makes a strong showing at the polls.
Salang , a former bank officer before entering politics, was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Julau in the 1999 general election and served until 2018.
At one time deputy president of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (which was deregistered in 2004) he joined Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) ahead of the general election in 2008.
And in his political career, he has served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (2004-2008), Deputy Minister of Energy, Water and Communications (2008-2009) and Deputy Minister of Information, Communications and Culture (2009-2013).
Following the demise of PRS president Tan Sri Datuk Amar James Jemut Masing, last year due to heart complications, the 71-year-old who has not held elected office since his 2018 loss was named party boss by mutual consent in the interest of maintaining party unity ahead of GE15.
Hence the rematch in Julau offers him a golden opportunity to bring the shine back to his flagging political brand and, more importantly, ensure legitimacy to his position as party president.
As the polling date approaches, he said a lot of things have been done to reach out to the people as to what he can bring to Julau if he were elected as MP this time.
His fate rests with the voters, the majority of whom are Iban who account for 91.8 per cent followed by the Chinese (5.3 per cent), Malays (1.4 per cent) and 1.5 per cent of other ethnicity.
But Salang is brimming with confidence.
“Going against Sng this time, I am fairly confident that we will overcome.
“I know he is the incumbent MP, which is a good thing for me actually. Since I was the incumbent previously, now the rakyat can compare what he has done and what I did during my time as MP.”
Towards this end Salang is convinced that incumbency is not necessarily an advantage because that is the basis for people to draw conclusions.
“I am not saying that he has not done any work in Julau, but let the voters decide how and what he has done during his tenure.
“To me what is more important for the rakyat to think about is the attitude of each representative because, with the wrong attitude, we can be approaching things quite differently.
“In my case, I have always done my work as a politician with total dedication.
“The moment I am elected the people’s representative, I am the people’s property. Therefore, my focus is to deliver, listen to the people and plan what can be done for them.”
Salang said this had always been his philosophy right from the beginning and that he had dedicated his life to politics.
ST: What have you done this past week during your campaign in Julau?
Salang: My campaign has been going well. Everyone is playing their part and working hard to reach out to the people.
This includes our assemblymen, who have helped me to deploy election machinery to strategic places and targeted communities.
Pakan assemblyman William Mawan Ikom and his family have been working very hard in his constituency to convince the voters to vote for GPS in this election.
Likewise Meluan assemblyman Rolland Duat Jubin, he has also been out there convincing the voters, especially in his area.
ST: Throughout your campaign , what strategy have you taken to convince the people to vote for GPS?
Salang: What we emphasise during the campaign is the coalition’s track record since GPS was established in 2018 – after it broke away from Barisan Nasional (BN) when Pakatan Harapan (PH) took over the government.
We have done greater work than we did before when we were in BN.
Also, with the wisdom of GPS chairman Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, the state has now been able to increase its revenue.
With the increased revenue, we can deliver more projects to the rakyat.
Having said all these Salang is also acutely aware that young voters – the 18-21 year-olds – may hold sway over this election, not only in Julau, but across the state and country. But he is not overly worried.
“They are young, first-time voters but I believe they are also aware of what has been going on and what the government has been trying to do to help, not only them but everyone.
“As they are already eligible to vote, I believe their parents will be guiding them properly as to what would be the best way forward,” he added.
Salang said it was now common knowledge that GPS is not only concerned about what is happening here and now but also the future in Sarawak.
“The Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 is to empower the youth to be very equipped with knowledge for the future of the state to become a high-income region in Malaysia by 2030,” he pointed out, confident this will resonate with young voters.
Under these circumstances Salang is bullish about making a difference should he win the rematch this time.
“There are many things that I want to do to make Julau a better place for everyone to live in.
“When everyone works together as a team, everything will fall into place and things will be better,” he said, adding, what is even more important is that everyone will then benefit from the elected representatives’ hard work.
“Another thing is that, as the state is moving into the digital era and experiencing economic transformation, connectivity and telecommunication are important especially when people are into business.
“As Abang Johari emphasised, we have to optimise the use of the internet and also gadgets in improving the economy.
“Hence, access to the internet and building telecommunications towers in Julau are the things the people need so that they can enjoy what other cities and towns have.
“I want to close the development gap between the urban areas and the rural areas. We have seen what people can do now with the internet,” he added.
It is quite clear that Salang is eager to bring Julau up to speed with the rest the state. And is confident he will be able to get the job done under the auspices of GPS which has set clear goals for the state.
But, for all intents and purposes, he has a problem he must first deal with. Larry Sng. And he is looking to deliver the knockout blow this Saturday.
