SARAWAK Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg has traded his safe urban seat of Satok for a backwater one in Gedong for the coming state elections on December 18

His move paves the way for his not-so-young trusted lieutenant Ibrahim Baki to defend the seat for the Gabungan Parti Sarawak.

The 71-year-old Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president had held the Satok seat for eight terms.

He first contested the Kuching urban seat in 1981.

In announcing GPS’ line up for the election at PBB’s headquarters in Kuching this afternoon, Abang Johari said he is among three of the component party presidents who will contest in the election.

Only Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) acting president Joseph Salang is not contesting.

Sarawak United People’s Party’s (SUPP) Sim Kui Hian will be defending his Batu Kawa seat while Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president and Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing will contest for a seat in the state legislative assembly for the first time in the constituency of Dudong near Sibu.

A nephew of former PRS president James Masing, who died on November 30, has been picked to defend Masing’s rural seat of Baleh.

Nicholas Kudi choked and held back tears when he was being interviewed by reporters.

Kudi’s father is Masing’s elder brother. Both Kudi’s parents have died of Covid-19.

He said thinking of his parents and his uncle at such an important milestone in his life had made him very emotional.

GPS is contesting all 82 seats, with 24 new faces.

The youngest is Azizul Adenan, 30, while the oldest is Ibrahim Baki who is in his 60s.

Azizul is the son of former chief minister Adenan Satem.

When Adenan died of heart complications in January 2017, his widow Jamilah Anu was fielded to fill the vacant Tanjong Datu seat in the by-election the following month.

Now she is stepping aside to let her son continue to where she left off.

The other new faces in GPS are Billy Sujang (Opar), Kuching North City mayor Wee Hong Seng (Padungan), Simon Sinang (Tebedu), Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor (Lingga), Desmond Sateng Sanjan (Engkilili), Mohamad Duri (Kalaka), former senior civil servant Friday Belik (Krian), Anyi Jana (Ngemah), Chieng Jin Ek (Bukit Assek), Tiong King Sing (Dudong), Robert Lau Hui Yew (Bawang Assan), SUPP Youth chief Michael Tiang (Pelawan), Lidam Assan (Katibas), Nicholas Kugi Jantai Maseng (Baleh), Pang Leong Ming (Tanjung Batu) and Sam Laya (Ba Kelalan).

Making a second attempt to win a seat are Milton Foo (Pending), Sih Hua Tong (Batu Lintang), Wilfred Yap Yau Sin (Kota Sentosa) and Miri mayor Adam Yii (Pujut). All are from SUPP.

Nomination day is on Monday. – December 3, 2021.