KUCHING: Three PKR candidates - Ahmad Nazib Johari, Datuk Dr Nor Irwan Ahmad Nor and Cherishe Ng – have started campaigning for the Sarawak state election by organising a gotong-royong session.

       Ahmad, Dr Nor and Ng began cleaning up the Kuching Waterfront at 8.30am on Tuesday (Dec 7) morning.

       Ng, 24, who’s PKR’s youngest candidate, appealed to locals to vote for the three candidates into the state assembly to clean up local politics.

       “The gotong-royong is a symbolic gesture to clean up Sarawak politics.

       “In the state assembly, there’s dirty politics, corruption, money politics and ‘frog politics’,” she told reporters.

       “We are candidates representing ‘3R’ - Reform, Recovery and Renewal,” added Ng.

       Ng said youths should be given a chance to enter politics at the state assembly.

       “Start by getting us involved, we need to start somewhere to get experience. If we weren’t given opportunities, we won’t get experience, this is something I am irritated with.”

       Ng will be contesting the Batu Lintang seat and she will be locked in a five-cornered fight against two-term incumbent See Chee How, Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) Voon Lee Shan, Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s Sih Hua Tong and Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party Leong Shaw Tong.

       Ahmad Nazib Johari will be contesting the Tupong seat in a three-cornered fight against PBK’s Chan Haong Yen and GPS’ Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman.

       Dr Nor Irwan will be locked in a three-cornered fight in Satok against GPS’ Datuk Ibrahim Baki and PBK’ Awang Badele Awang Ali.

       PKR has fielded 28 candidates in the 12th Sarawak state election, where early voting will be on Dec 14 and polling day on Dec 18.