KUCHING: The Sarawak Barisan Nasional has uninamously agreed to field Malcolm Mussen anak Lamoh (pic) as its candidate in the Batang Ai by-election on April 7.
Lamoh's candidacy will be submitted by State coalition chairman and Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for approval.
Lamoh, who turns 50 on April 30, is an engineer with the state Agriculture Department since 1984. He is expected to resign from the department next week.
Born in Danau, Engkilili, he graduated from Universiti Putra Malaysia in 1983 and obtained his Master degree in manufacturing systems engineering from University of Warwick, Coventry, UK in 1998.
Lamoh is the sole candidate recommended by Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS),a component of the four-member state coalition.
The by-election was called following the death of four-term assemblyman Datuk Dublin Unding Ingkot, a former PRS vice-president and state Assistant Minister for Agiculture.
PRS president Datuk Dr James Masing said the party had chosen Lamoh from several potential candidates.
"I think he is the best candidate to win the by-election," he told reporters after the state Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting at Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) headquarters at Jalan Bako on Saturday.
Both Taib and Dr Masing, who has been appointed the Barisan director of operations for the by-election, have expressed full confidence that Lamoh would help the Barisan to retain the seat.
The Barisan is expected to face Parti Keadilian Rakyat (PKR) in the by-election.
PKR is likely to field either its state deputy chief Nicholas Bawin or former Lubok Antu MP Jawah Gerang in the contest.
Bawin lost to Ingkot by 806 votes in the 2006 state polls.
Batang Ai has 8,006 registered voters and nearly 95% of them are Ibans. It is one of the state seats in Lubok Antu. The other seat is Engkilili.
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