KUCHING, April 22 — George Lagong, the only winning Independent in the last Sarawak election, hopes the next person to take over his Pelagus seat will bring development to the Iban community.
Lagong will not defend the interior seat after suffering a severe accident last year when his car plunged into a ravine.
“I cannot contest again, my injuries were serious. I have problems with speaking and am unable to serve the people properly,” he told Bernama when contacted here today.
Lagong hoped Pelagus, with the smallest electorate among the three state constituencies in the Kapit parliamentary area, would get someone who can truly serve them.
“Pelagus needs a good YB to represent them because the Iban community there still needs a lot of help,” he added.
BN has named Wilson Nyabong, a political secretary of Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem as its candidate this time.
Instead of PKR, the opposition will be led by DAP’s Frankie Bendindang.
Pelagus has 7,186 voters compared to 15,322 in 2011, after the new Bukit Goram seat was carved out of Pelagus and Baleh.
Now 56, Lagong was among a record 41 to stand on an independent ticket the last time. He snatched a 2,837 majority in a three-cornered fight against BN and PKR.
He then joined the Sarawak Workers Party and later, the BN-friendly Teras party. He is without a party currently. — Bernama
