SRI AMAN: All six candidates contesting for the Lingga seat in the 12th Sarawak State Election on Dec 18 must have a good grasp of some of the key issues of concern to the constituents there if they are to stand a chance of winning.
And that includes having a clear vision, being a good listener and proactive.
A trader at the Lingga town market food court, Gelang Kadir, 45, said the voters want the new elected representative to have a vision on how to help change the economic landscape in the area as well as transform the lives of the people there.
“We do not care who is contesting in the 12th state election this time, be it the incumbent or a new candidate. What is important is that our voices are heard. (The winning candidate) must be prepared to get his or her hands dirty by going down to the ground. Don’t allow Lingga to be left behind,” she said.
The six candidates for the Lingga seat are Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor(pix) of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Datuk Wan Abdillah Edruce Wan Abdul Rahman of Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), Abang Abdul Kassim Abang Bujang of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Abang Ahmad Abang Suni of Parti Sedar Rakyat Sarawak (Sedar), Baha Imam of Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) and Mohd Sepian Abang Daud (Independent).
Dayang Noorazah, meanwhile, surely ticks all the boxes as she already plans to make youth development in Lingga as one of her main focus.
This, she said, was to ensure the people of Lingga can free themselves from the financial burden they are facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since the pandemic hit the country two years ago, a majority of the people in the area lost their source of income and many youths have yet to be able to continue their studies due to financial constraints.
As such, Dayang Noorazah, at 33 the youngest GPS candidate in this election, feels that there is a need for development based on the concept of “spillover effect” in Lingga, such as creating community colleges or universities in the area.
This kind of development concept will indirectly create sustainable economic growth and provide opportunities for youths to further their studies.
“Imagine, youngsters aged below 18 approach me and ask for jobs because they want to help their families. I was shocked to hear that... perhaps many do not know what the locals are facing.
“But since the Covid (outbreak), we can see drastic changes, especially in the Lingga state constituency. Many are jobless, purchasing power has diminished... maybe outsiders only see the infrastructure development but they do not know the prevailing internal problems,” she told Bernama recently.
Dayang Noorazah, who has been nominated to contest the seat for the first time, believes that such efforts would surely help the locals and youths.
The Bachelor of Accounting and Commerce graduate from Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak also has several plans to create recreational activity areas in the district.
GPS are counting on Dayang Noorazah to wrest the Lingga seat which was previously held by Datuk Simoi Peri of Barisan Nasional-Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu for three terms since 2006.
Based on the latest statistics from the Election Commission (EC), Lingga has a total of 9,578 eligible voters. Of that, 783 (8.17 per cent) are aged between 21 and 29 while 1,863 (19.45 per cent) are aged between 30 and 39.
Lingga is a village in the interior in the Sri Aman division, with the majority of its population comprising Muslims and over 50 per cent are Iban.-Bernama
