Digest on Malaysian News

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 24 – There has to be a by-election for the Sarawak state assembly seat of Batang Ai following the death of long-serving assemblyman Datuk Dublin Unting today.

Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said the Sarawak state assembly was only over two years old and, according to the state constitution, the assembly’s term ends in July 2011.

“Which means there are more than two years to go. So a by-election is necessary,” he told Bernama here.

Abdul Aziz said this when asked to comment about the death of Dublin, 53 (** some media reported that he was 56), the vice-president of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) at the Normah Medical Centre in Kuching at 1.25am today due to a stroke suffered in May last year that left him in a coma. Ingkot suffered a stroke following a radio interview.He leaves behind widow Datin Froline Moriah Dimies Impoi and three children.

He was also state minister for sports and agriculture as well as the assistant minister for Agriculture (Research and Coordination), retained the seat after beating challenger Nicholas Bawin from the Sarawak National Party (SNAP) in the May, 2006 state election.




In KUCHING, state legislative assembly speaker Abang Othman Abang Fata said the EC would be formally notified of the vacancy of the Batang Ai state seat by today.

“We are awaiting the death certificate from the National Registration Department so that we can inform the EC,” he told Bernama here today.

The Sarawak state election was last held on May 20 2006 and the Sarawak BN won 62 seats of the 71 seats contested while nine seats fell to the opposition, six to the DAP and two to Parti Keadilan Rakyat. One seat was won by an independent candidate.

Sarawak BN comprises Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP). – Bernama

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