Vivian Wong wants to deliver late father's promises

SANDAKAN POLLS | DAP candidate for Sandakan Parliamentary by-election Vivian Wong Shir Yee (above) wants to deliver the promises made to the constituents by her father, the late Stephen Wong Tien Fatt, that have yet to be fulfilled.

Wong, 30, said many ideas and aspirations have not been fulfilled by her late father, the incumbent Sandakan MP, who died of a heart attack.

“As a child who followed my father political struggles and worked for him during his tenure as a people’s representative and Sabah Health and People’s Wellbeing Minister, I want to deliver the promises made to the people that have not been fulfilled by my father.

“I adhere to the principle of my late father to finish what one has started,” she said during a talk at the Taman Mesra People’s Housing Programme (PPR) last night.

The youngest of four siblings said her father’s spirit and determination had been an important impetus to him in his political struggles, especially helping those in need.

She said she was ready to continue her late father’s struggles in politics to serve the people.

“I am aware our people need us every day, and that’s why I will continue going down to the ground often, which was an important approach of my late father, especially if I receive complaints from the people,” she said.

Wong who started her involvement in the political arena in 2012 through DAP, also wanted to focus on aspects of development that could create job opportunities for the younger generation.

Hence, she described the federal government’s decision to continue with the expansion of the Sandakan Airport runway as timely.

She said the move would increase the number of aircraft landing at the airport and further increase the number of tourist arrivals to this area.

The expansion of tourism would certainly increase job opportunities, especially young people and they not need to look for jobs elsewhere, she said.

“I am aware of the lack of job opportunities in this area because after completing my study in Australia, I worked in Kuala Lumpur due to lack of job opportunities and appropriate fields here,” said Wong, who has a degree in public relations from Murdoch University in Australia.

In the Sandakan by-election, Wong is being challenged by Linda Tsen Thau Lin (PBS) and three independents, namely Chia Siew Yung, Sulaiman Samat and Hamzah Abdullah.

Early voting is on May 7 and polling on May 11.

The Sandakan parliamentary constituency has two state constituencies, namely Tanjong Papat and Elopura, with a total of 40,131 eligible voters, including 270 early voters and five absentee voters.

- Bernama