KUCHING, Aug 8 ― Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo said today three state’s rights activists will use the party’s butterfly symbol to contest in the state election expected to call in the first half of next year.
She said Leong Shaow Tung, Chang Chee Hiong, and Tan Kok Chiang have been active in Sarawak For Sarawakians (S4S) civil movement since 2013.
“It is time for them to bring their fight for the state’s rights, including self-determination, from the street to the next level, that is, the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly,” Soo said when announcing the candidacies of the three activists for the state election.
She said Leong, 46, will contest in Batu Lintang, Chang, 49, in Pending and Tan, 47, in Kota Sentosa in the election.
“They are not only active in S4S, but also in other civil societies such as Kuching Traditional Handicraft Studies Society,” Soo said.
“We urge the voters to give our S4S activists, who have been fighting on the ground for many years, a chance to carry on to the next level.
“They cannot be on the street all the time. They have to proceed to the next level to bring the people’s voice to the Sarawak state assembly where they can speak out on constitutional and political change,” she said.
She said Sarawak legislature is the right venue for constitutional and political changes to take place.
Soo said she will be contesting in Padungan, Aspirasi chairman Buln Ribos in Serembu, deputy president Hugh Lawrence Zehnder in Engkilili, secretary general Simon Tiong in Pelawan and Chang Lea Phing in Tanjung Batu.
She said Aspirasi, a member of the newly established Gabungan Anak Sarawak (Gagas) coalition, will be fielding 20 candidates in the state election.
She said the remaining 62 seats will be contested by other members of Gagas, including Sarawak Workers’ Party, Sarawak Independence Alliance and Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak.
She added they will also be using Aspirasi’s symbol if Gagas’ symbol of “Bungai Terung” is not registered with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in time for the state election.
