Sarawak BN Wanita targets to recapture four parliamentary seats

MIRI: The Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) Wanita has set its target to wrest back four parliamentary seats from the opposition in the 14th general election (GE14) next month.
Its Wanita chief Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said the four parliamentary seats won by the opposition in the 13th general election (GE13) were Miri, Sibu, Sarikei and Stampin.
"Apart from recapturing the four parliamentary seats, we also aim at retaining the 25 parliamentary seats under BN," she told reporters after attending the 'going to the ground' programme organised by the Wanita wing of the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and other BN component parties here today.
She said during the GE14 campaign period, the Sarawak BN Wanita would be using both the conventional methods such as meeting up with the voters, as well as utilising the social media platforms to reach the young people to garner their support.
Fatimah, who is also PBB Wanita chief, expressed her confidence in Bumiputera voters' loyalty with BN component parties while Chinese voters have begun to show their support for the BN following the people-friendly policies being implemented.
"I'm sure we will be able to increase the number of votes from the Chinese community in the GE14," she said.
In the GE13, Sarawak BN won 25 of the 31 parliamentary seats contested while the state election was held in 2016.
For GE14, the Sarawak BN would field six women candidates including three new faces.
Fatimah, who is also Sarawak Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister, said this showed that BN recognised the role of women in politics by increasing the number of women candidates.
In the announcement of the 31 Sarawak BN candidates by its state chairman, Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, who is also Sarawak Chief Minister, today three women incumbents were retained in their respective parliamentary constituencies, including two federal ministers, namely Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim (Batang Lupar) and Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (Batang Sadong) as well as Rubiah Wang (Kota Samarahan).
The three new faces of BN women candidates were Kho Teck Wan (Bandar Kuching), Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib (Mukah) and Rita Sarimah Patrick (Selangau). — Bernama