This is how Mas Gading incumbent MP Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe describes the speculation that a senior officer from Padawan Municipal Council as Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate will replace him in this parliamentary election.

The Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) vice president said he encountered the same thing in the 2004 polling campaigns, and the name of the individual being bandied about was also a senior civil servant. He pointed out that he knew both men.

Dr Tiki, facing his third general election on March 8, 2008, said: “As far as I am concerned, I will stick to the word of SPDP president Dato Sri William Mawan Ikom and deputy president Datuk Peter Nyarok Entrie that I will be re-nominated for Mas Gading.”

Despite rumours his party had submitted two names (including his) for the seat, Dr Tiki believed his was the only picked for approval by the BN.

Word on the ground has it that the State Reform Party (STAR) may be interested in contesting Mas Gading again.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) said PKR was leaving it to STAR to wrest the seat from the BN.

In the 2004 parliamentary election, Dr Tiki beat STAR president Dr Patau Rubis by a majority of 2,712 votes — 10,579 against 7,867.

Last week, Mawan in Miri and Nyarok in Saratok suggested the party maintained the status quo for SPDP’s four seats. They implied the party would retain its four incumbent MPs.

Besides Dr Tiki, the other SPDP incumbents are Jelaing Mersat (Saratok), Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan (Baram) and Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (Bintulu).

As of yesterday, it was still not confirmed Dr Tiki would be re-nominated after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made a last-minute surprise call to all BN leaders to attend an urgent meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

On Sunday, Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud told a press conference the candidates for the State BN would be announced yesterday. He met Abdullah on Tuesday.