The election judge upheld one of the four grounds of petition by the Barisan candidate for Kidurong, Michael Sim, who lost by 22 votes, that one polling station had not been supplied with a complete copy of the electoral roll and that therefore eligible voters could have been denied their right to vote, and which could have affected the outcome of the election.
If it is because of the mistake of the Election Commission, whether of omission or commission, resulting in the election of Wong Sing Ai being declared null and void, then the Election Commission should compensate Sing Ai for this most unexpected outcome of the election petition.
During the Sarawak state general elections, Wong Sing Ai, had been approached to withdraw as a candidate for Kidurong constituency and was offered up to RM220,000 in cash and a job found for him.
However, Wong Sing Ai proved that although he was only a hawker, his political principles were not up for sale – sending a fresh wind into the money politics of Sarawak.
A by-election for the DAP in Sarawak is a most difficult election battle. This was why the Sarawak DAP State Secretary, Chiew Chiu Sing, lost in the Kemena by-election in Sarawak in May this year, although he would have won the Kemena state constituency and defeated the incumbent Barisan Nasional assemblyman, Sarawak Minister for Land Development, Celestine Ujang, if he had not been unfairly and undemocratically disqualfied on nomination during the Sarawak state general elections in August last year.
The DAP Central Executive Committee now awaits the recommendation of the Sarawak DAP State Committee with regard to the Kidurong by-election.
(12/9/97)