SIBU, Oct 21 ― The political temperature in Bintulu town is rising ahead of the Jepak by-election slated for November 4.

Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate Iskandar Turkee, 54, is expected to go toe-to-toe with businessman Chieng Lea Ping, 65, from Aspirasi, and former police officer Stevenson Joseph Sumbang, 42 from Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) in a three-corner fight, barring any last minute participations by independent candidates at the nomination centre from 9am until 10am today.

Meanwhile, despite GPS chief whip Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof’s call for the seat to be unopposed, there has yet been any sign of candidates from the political divide withdrawing.

However, PBK president Voon Lee Shan said letting GPS win the Jepak by-election unopposed could “kill democracy”.

That said, it would be a tall order for either of the opposing candidates to wrest the seat from Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB).

Furthermore, votes will be split among the opposition candidates, which will favour the GPS candidate.

According to political analyst Professor Datuk Dr Jayum Jawan, Jepak has always been PBB’s stronghold.

Jayum has also said that GPS under Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg’s leadership has brought Sarawak to another new level of achievement and prosperity with a strong focus on maintaining the state’s political stability.

He thus believed that any candidate chosen by Abang Johari would be accepted by his party members and the people on the ground.

It is interesting to note how both Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) had decided to skip the Jepak by-election.

For the record, GPS is part of the federal unity government, while PN sits on the opposition bench.

In a recent statement, PN secretary general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin was quoted as saying that the PN Supreme Council had decided not to contest in Jepak, but to focus on defending the Kemaman parliamentary by-election in Terengganu slated for Dec 2.

Professor James Chin from the Asian Studies at University of Tasmania, Australia, reckoned this was because both PH and PN already knew that Jepak is PBB’s stronghold.

Hence, with no clear opposition strength in sight, Iskandar is expected to retain the Jepak seat for PBB and it is now a matter of his winning majority.

The Jepak seat fell vacant following the demise of the incumbent Datuk Talib Zulpilip on Sept 15.

Talib had represented Jepak for six terms since the seat was introduced in the 1996 state election.

In the 2021 state election, Talib won Jepak for GPS with 6,277 votes for a 4,243-vote majority over Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) candidate Raba’ah Tudin (2,034 votes), Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) candidate Stevenson Joseph Sumbang (587) and independent Tuah Kazan (141).

Early voting and polling for the Jepak by-election is on October 31 and November 4 respectively.

The electoral roll that will be used for the Jepak by-election is the one updated until September 15, 2023, which contains 22,804 voters consisting of 22,761 ordinary voters and 43 police personnel. ― Borneo Post