We need new ideas, not just experience, says DAP candidate

SANDAKAN POLLS | At 30 years old, Vivian Wong is DAP's by-election candidate who will be going up against Parti Bersatu Sabah's (PBS) more experienced candidate Linda Tsen, who was a two-term MP for Batu Sapi.

PBS president Maximus Ongkili had touted Tsen's experience as one of the reasons the party had chosen her for this by-election, and without naming anyone, he had also said a parliamentarian's job is not suitable for a "rookie".

But Vivian, who had served as special officer to her late father and incumbent Sandakan MP Stephen Wong, is unfazed by her opponent's experience.

"I think what the nation is looking for now is not really an experienced leader but a leader who can bring new hope and new ideas to the state and to the country.

"I do respect her as a past YB (but) I do not see (her as) a threat because I do have a different vision and different goals," Vivian said to Malaysiakini in an interview at the Sandakan DAP headquarters, right after PBS announced Tsen as their candidate.

Vivian sees her youth as her advantage as society is evolving and the politicians need to "catch up with the youth".

"Our ideas and plans will definitely benefit Sandakan, to change this 'ageing city' to bring back hope to Sandakan," she said.

Besides, Vivian added, she is not as inexperienced as some may assume, as she had been unofficially involved in assisting her father in Sandakan since he became the MP in 2013.

The former educator, who joined DAP in 2012, the same time as her father, shared that she even dressed up as the DAP Ubah bird mascot to help out with her father's campaign back then.

Aside from that, Vivian said she also has a lot of experience serving the people as she does a lot of social work, including building houses for the underprivileged.

Her father saw this passion for service in her, she said, and had been grooming her to contest a parliamentarian seat eventually.

"Him leaving us, it was very sudden. I was preparing for this pathway, it was just sooner than we thought," she said.

However, the sudden change of circumstances does not mean Vivian lacks direction.

She already has plans on how to rejuvenate Sandakan, which was previously a booming town known as 'Little Hong Kong'.

While acknowledging that the economy in Sandakan is in a slump, Vivian believes that promoting tourism in this region will boost the economy again.

In turn, this will encourage more local youths to return to Sandakan to work as a healthy economy will naturally lead to the creation of more jobs, she said.

"I see that Sandakan is a very special place. We have flora and fauna and we also have heritage.

"We can make Sandakan a weekend getaway place, this is one of the things we can do.

"Once the economy has gone up, our youths can come back and work in Sandakan because there will be more job opportunities. It is a cycle," she said.

The Sandakan by-election was triggered when her father Stephen, who was the Sabah Minister of Health and People’s Wellbeing, passed away on March 28. Polling day is on May 11.

This by-election is a five-cornered fight, with Vivian and Tsen, as well as three other independent candidates Hamzah Abdullah, Chia Siew Yong and Sulaiman Abdul Samad.

There are 39,777 voters in Sandakan, with 51 percent Chinese voters, 26 percent Sabah bumiputera, 16 percent Malays and seven percent others. - Mkini