BATU SAPI (Malaysia) - The race for the Batu Sapi federal seat is turning into a referendum of Barisan Nasional's (BN) 16-year rule in Sabah as the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) carp on development for Malaysia's eastern-most state.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman has taken personal charge of the campaign to put BN candidate Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin into Parliament while defending the ruling coalition's record.
"It is not fair to say that Sabah is the poorest state," he declared in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.
Polling day for the Batu Sapi by-election is on Thursday. The seat, comprising 25,582 voters, fell vacant following the death of Mrs Tsen's late husband, Datuk Edmund Chong Ket Wah in an Oct 9 biking accident.
Challenging Tsen for the seat is Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) candidate Datuk Yong Teck Lee and the Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) Ansari Abdullah.
The opposition has been criticising the BN leadership in Sabah for having failed to deliver on its promises since taking power 16 years ago.
SAPP's Yong has been reminding the people on his campaign trail that although Sabah had been the second-richest state in Malaysia in the 1970s, it is the country's poorest today.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who played a key role in handing Sabah to BN in 1995, has been stumping for PKR candidate Ansari with the message that they can do better for the state.
Mr Musa, however, dismissed such talk today and insisted that his representatives had been doing a sterling job in providing for the people.
And he expressed confidence in BN's chances in the by-election, saying the state has had "no problems" obtaining development allocation due to its good relationship with the Federal government.
"In my experience, as long as you have served the people well, met their demands, brought infrastructure and development to them, they will be happy.
"People of Sabah know how to be grateful. They know how to say thank you if you bring them development," he said.
This, he added, was why it was not viable for Batu Sapi constituents to vote for an opposition candidate as they would not be able to obtain funds to develop the area.
"The Federal government is very positive and knows the needs of the state. That is why it is very important and good to have a sound relationship between the state and the Federal governments.
"And that is the point that I want to tell the people," he said.
Ticking off the numerous achievements of the BN during its reign in the state, Mr Musa noted that the government had given Sabahans good roads, new facilities, an education hub, an airport, low-cost housing, bridges and many other amenities to their convenience.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman has taken personal charge of the campaign to put BN candidate Datin Linda Tsen Thau Lin into Parliament while defending the ruling coalition's record.
"It is not fair to say that Sabah is the poorest state," he declared in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.
Polling day for the Batu Sapi by-election is on Thursday. The seat, comprising 25,582 voters, fell vacant following the death of Mrs Tsen's late husband, Datuk Edmund Chong Ket Wah in an Oct 9 biking accident.
Challenging Tsen for the seat is Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) candidate Datuk Yong Teck Lee and the Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) Ansari Abdullah.
The opposition has been criticising the BN leadership in Sabah for having failed to deliver on its promises since taking power 16 years ago.
SAPP's Yong has been reminding the people on his campaign trail that although Sabah had been the second-richest state in Malaysia in the 1970s, it is the country's poorest today.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who played a key role in handing Sabah to BN in 1995, has been stumping for PKR candidate Ansari with the message that they can do better for the state.
Mr Musa, however, dismissed such talk today and insisted that his representatives had been doing a sterling job in providing for the people.
And he expressed confidence in BN's chances in the by-election, saying the state has had "no problems" obtaining development allocation due to its good relationship with the Federal government.
"In my experience, as long as you have served the people well, met their demands, brought infrastructure and development to them, they will be happy.
"People of Sabah know how to be grateful. They know how to say thank you if you bring them development," he said.
This, he added, was why it was not viable for Batu Sapi constituents to vote for an opposition candidate as they would not be able to obtain funds to develop the area.
"The Federal government is very positive and knows the needs of the state. That is why it is very important and good to have a sound relationship between the state and the Federal governments.
"And that is the point that I want to tell the people," he said.
Ticking off the numerous achievements of the BN during its reign in the state, Mr Musa noted that the government had given Sabahans good roads, new facilities, an education hub, an airport, low-cost housing, bridges and many other amenities to their convenience.
(Source : The Malaysian Insider)
No comments:
Post a Comment