KUCHING: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Kota Sentosa branch chairman Wilfred Yap wants to have another go at Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen.
In their last outing Chong defeated Yap by a margin of 2,819 votes in the race for the Kota Sentosa seat, but Yap is undeterred.
“I have been working non-stop on the ground since the day of my election defeat to Chong,” he said when contacted by New Sarawak Tribune on Wednesday (Nov 17).
In the previous 11th Sarawak state election, Chong who is also Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sarawak chairman polled 10,047 votes against his 7,228 votes.
Though he has not been officially announced as the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS)/SUPP candidate for Kota Sentosa, Yap said his SUPP Kota Sentosa branch and two sub-branches had nominated him as the potential candidate for the constituency.
“Despite my defeat to Chong, I have continued to assist and serve the communities of Kota Sentosa on various maintenance and upgrading of infrastructure and public utility problems using whatsoever available resources,” he said.
He said that as a councillor of Padawan Municipal Council (MPP), he had tried his very best to fight for more development funding for the business community and residents of Kota Sentosa.
“In my capacity as a lawyer and SUPP Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) chief, I have always been ready to lend a helping hand to anyone facing problems or those who come across problems of public interest.
“I have assisted numerous individuals who have been treated not in accordance with the rule of law,” said Yap.
He added that among the matters he had assisted people with ranged from their problems with illegal money lenders, online scams, unfair dismissal, cheating, fraud, citizenship issues, false identity, banking, birth certificate, identity card, land encroachment/trespass, unlawful detention, human rights, and issues with government departments and government-linked companies.
At the same time, he pointed to the slow or lack of development in Kota Sentosa, noting that the constituency had been under the opposition DAP since its creation in 2006 with Chong as the incumbent.
He said that if there were any issues here, it was the responsibility and duty of DAP to give the communities of Kota Sentosa a good explanation.
“It is only proper for Chong to show his report card to the people of Kota Sentosa on what he has done for the past 15 years as their YB,” he said.
“If given the opportunity to contest by GPS and if successful, my first priority would be to set up and operate a fully functioning One Stop Service Centre,” said Yap.
He said he would also endeavour to secure funding and planning approval for the following, namely construction of a drain diversion tunnel and upgrading of existing drains to prevent flooding at Jalan Durian Burung and Borneo Gardens, Green Heights; upgrading of all earth drains to concrete drains and upgrading of main road at BDC Resettlement Scheme; upgrading and road expansion of Lorong 3, Jalan Stakan to serve as a diversion road to ease traffic congestion for motorists wanting to bypass Kota Sentosa Commercial Area; securing funds for repairs and upgrading the facilities of all community halls and schools in Kota Sentosa; to fight for more affordable housing to cater for the expanding population of Kota Sentosa and last, but not least, to ensure that police presence and the frequency of police patrols in Kota Sentosa is enhanced, in addition to securing funding for the installation of CCTVs in hotspot areas
“Generally, I will strive to secure more development funding to upgrade all the existing infrastructure facilities in Kota Sentosa constituency to enhance its competitive edge, thereby creating more job opportunities and also to make it a happening place for its residents to live and work in,” said Yap.
