KUALA LUMPUR — DAP will likely retain Sandakan in the upcoming by-election, albeit with a smaller majority, analysts believe.
Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said voters in the Sabah parliamentary constituency may be tougher on DAP now that the party is part of the coalition government.
“But on the other hand, PBS is still widely perceived to be aligned with the racially supremacist Umno, and thus is too difficult for the majority Chinese voters of Sandakan to stomach,” Oh told Malay Mail.
PBS, which won one parliament and six state seats in the 2018 general election, has nominated Datuk Linda Tsen, a former two term MP of neighbouring Batu Sapi constituency, for the by-election.
Oh said the Sandakan race was significant in Sabah as a DAP victory would indicate that the Warisan-led Sabah state government could deliver a win for their federal partners without the latter having to intrude excessively into Sabah politics.
“This race is significant nationally only because it will be a first by-election win for PH (Pakatan Harapan) after having suffered three consecutive electoral defeats in the Peninsula.”
DAP has decided to field the late Sandakan MP Stephen Wong’s daughter, Vivian. The late Sabah health and public well-being minister, who died last month from a heart attack, had won Sandakan in 2018 with a majority of over 10,000 votes.
James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, said DAP would campaign on regaining its seat in the Sabah state Cabinet and on a sympathy vote, while PBS or the Opposition would say that things have gotten worse under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.
“DAP will have little problem in retaining the seat,” he told Malay Mail.
“I have many friends in Sandakan and they tell me it’s a non-event. They tell me all the kopitiam talk is that it’s Rocket for sure,” he added, referring to DAP’s symbol.
Tony Paridi Bagang, lecturer at the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies at UiTM Sabah, said the Sandakan race would test PBS’ popularity as a local multiracial party since it would run under its own flag, after leaving BN.
“Both local and national issues would be played up during the campaign, such as the illegal immigrants, cost of living, land issue and structural reforms that have been promised during the GE14,” he said.
Rahezzal Shah Abd Karim, senior lecturer in politics and public policy at the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, UiTM Sabah, urged political parties not to treat each by-election as a mini-referendum on the national pulse.
“But in reality, that’s not necessarily the case,” he pointed out.
“BN, ie MCA Sabah and Umno Sabah pulling out from the by-election tells us that they know it would be extremely difficult to wrest back the seat from DAP. BN three in a row victory gave much needed boast to the morale of BN. They wouldn’t want to spoil that winning streak.”
BN won the previous Semenyih, Cameron Highlands and Rantau by-elections. Cameron Highlands and Rantau were BN strongholds.
Independent analyst Khoo Kay Peng cautioned PH that PBS could use Bersatu’s entry into Sabah against them, among other issues.
“The main issue would be PH’s stance on granting the full rights to Sabah under MA63 (Malaysia Agreement 1963). It will focus on the arguments of how Warisan has not been able to persuade its coalition partners to restore Sabah rights under MA63,” Khoo told Malay Mail.
Nomination for Sandakan will take place this morning, while polling is scheduled for May 11. – MALAY MAIL
PBS nominates ex-Batu Sapi MP Linda Tsen
SANDAKAN: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has nominated its vice-prsident and one time Batu Sapi federal lawmaker Datuk Linda Tsen Thau to contest the Sandakan by-election.
PBS president Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said being an experienced and tested leader, Tsen, 64, has what it takes to represent the Sandakan constituents.
Both Sandakan and Batu Sapi are neighbouring parliamentary seats in Sandakan.
“She is not foreign to Sandakan and as a two-term parliamentarian, she has a proven good track record and is the best choice to be the voice of the Sandakan people in the Parliament.
“We need a person who is not only experienced but has served her previous constituents well. She is very likeable and close to the grassroots,” he told reporters at a press conference here today.
“We knew they are going to put a member of the (late MP Stephen Wong Tien Fatt ’s) family. When we scanned our list (of potential candidates) ranging from young middle-aged and old, we decided Tsen is in the best position to be the flag bearer and voice of Sandakan,” said Ongkili.
The last time PBS contested in Sandakan was in the 1990 General Election, when its nominee Lai Lun Tze won the seat for then Sabah based party.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal announced that Vivian Wong Shir Yee, 30, from DAP and the youngest child of the late Wong would replace her father and contest the Sandakan parliamentary seat in the May 11 by-election.
Ongkili said there has been a lot of disappointment and unhappiness with the Federal and State governments due to their failure to fulfil election promises since they took the helm last May.
“This is our (PBS) call of duty – to offer an option for the Sandakan voters to defend their rights and make their voices heard. Our mission is straightforward,” he said.
Ongkili said he was confident that PBS had the backing of other like-minded parties STAR, SAPP, USNO, UMNO and MCA, among others, for the polls.
He said that the party would pursue pertinent issues involving Sabah namely the Malaysia Agreement 1963, security, and development matters that affect the livelihood of the people here.
Meanwhile, Tsen, who was the former Batu Sapi member of Parliament between 2010 and 2018, said she was committed in serving the people to the best of her ability.
Tsen, who was born and raised in Sandakan, is the widow of the late Batu Sapi MP Datuk Edmund Chong Ket Wah who served the constituency between 2004 and 2010. Following the death of Chong, she won the Batu Sapi seat in a by-election and defended the seat in 2013.
In her parliamentary work, Tsen headed and represented the Malaysian Women Parliamentarians to several General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly in the United States, Brunei Darussalam, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines.
The former musician and piano teacher is expected to face the youngest daughter of the late Datuk Stephen Wong and independents in the polls.
The parliamentary seat fell vacant after its incumbent Wong died of heart attack on March 28.
In the 14th General Election Wong had obtained 19,094 votes, defeating BN candidate Datuk Lim Ming Hoo who garnered 8,996 votes.
Sandakan has 39,777 registered voters – 49 per cent Chinese, 44 per cent Muslim Bumiputera and six per cent non-Muslim Bumiputera. – NST
THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT / NST
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.