By : FMT STAFF
KOTA KINABALU: In a shrewd
move to show it is willing to compromise to break the political deadlock in
Sabah, the DAP said it will not be contesting all the Chinese majority seats in
Sabah in the coming general election.
A senior DAP official
speaking on condition of anonymity said the party had agreed to open the door
to the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) to contest in three state seats, all
within the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency as a “gesture of
cooperation and goodwill”.
“But that is about it,” he
said yesterday. He was commenting on DAP Sabah chief, Jimmy Wong’s announcement
last Sunday that the DAP would be contesting in three parliamentary seats and
seven state seats in the general election.
According to the official,
DAP would make way for SAPP in Api Api as they had heard that SAPP president
Yong Teck Lee would be its candidate there, although there have been
indications from the party that he might contest in his previous constituency
of Likas.
Political observers say the
clash between Yong and his archrival, BN’s Dr Yee Moh Chai, who is the
incumbent state assemblyman for Api-Api, would be more worthy and satisfying
for the former chief minister.
Yee is a Deputy Chief
Minister representing the Chinese community under a peculiar system in the
state’s Umno-led BN coalition government that breaks up existing power
structures so as to prevent smaller power groups from linking up against Umno.
He is also the state’s
Resource Development and Information Technology Minister and a deputy president
of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), a party that observers say has lost the goodwill
of the Chinese community.
If Yong were to contest in
Likas, he would be taking over from his close aide Liew Teck Chan and be open
to being accused of practicing nepotism by his critics. As for Luyang and Likas
which also come under Kota Kinabalu, the senior DAP official said it was only
fair that SAPP be given the chance to defend the seats as they were the
incumbents.
The DAP will defend its Kota
Kinabalu parliamentary seat through incumbent MP Hiew King Cheu, an engineer,
as well as field candidates in Sandakan and Penampang.
“We are still wary about
SAPP as they refuse to officially join Pakatan Rakyat and as such it would be a
big risk to us if they were to be allowed to contest more seats,” said the
senior official, explaining the rationale in giving way to SAPP in three
constituencies only.
‘SAPP’s strength is in Kota
Kinabalu’
The opposition coalition
which is made up of peninsular-controlled parities is also standing its ground
on not giving way to the local party in Sandakan as the incumbents are now in
Gerakan, also a peninsular-controlled party.
“Look, SAPP cannot even hold
on to what they have and if they are given more and they win, we would never
know until it’s too late if they would cross over again,” said the official.
“It is better to be safe.
Furthermore, SAPP does not have calibre candidates for the Sandakan seats, so
it’s no point contesting there. Their strength is in Kota Kinabalu so it is
best they focus all their resources here.”
SAPP has claimed it has
bases throughout the state and is capable of fielding candidates in a majority
of the 60 state and 25 parliamentary constituencies.
DAP wants to field
veterinarian Dr Edwin Bosi in the Kadazandusun-majority district of Penampang
where PKR’s Darrel Leiking is also among the contenders. DAP is also eyeing the
neighbouring constituency of Kepayan.
The party’s point man in the
state, Jimmy Wong, who is the Sri Tanjong State Assembly told delegates at a
DAP’s convention here last week that they had been allocated 10 seats in the
state.
Wong said that initially
they had sought 10 parliamentary seats and 20 state seats but after discussions
with the other PR partners, they had agreed that the power equation had changed
with the recent defection of BN MPs, Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin.
“We wish to make it clear to
our delegates that DAP’s struggle is not about competing for seats, nor for
personal interests or becoming election candidates. That is for opportunists.
Our struggle is for the people’s best interest,” he said.
Heading off criticism by
some within the party for not gaining more seats for local candidates, Wong
stressed that DAP leaders must understand that in order to secure seats, they
must first contribute to the party and prove they deserve to be nominated.
Noting the wealth and power
of the ruling BN coalition and the difficulty in unseating it in the general
election, Wong said the opposition could draw strength from the dissatisfaction
of Sabahans in what they see as a pusillanimous state government taking orders
from Kuala Lumpur.
“We are no longer focusing
on the weaknesses and flaws of the BN. We have come out with our alternative
State Budget 2013. Everyone is now talking about change, regardless of whether
they are land-grab victims, unemployed youth or university graduates with low
pay, underprivileged old folk, the homeless, or parents who are struggling to
put food on the table and those who have problem to finance their children’s
education,” Wong added.
He stressed that to ensure a
better future for the people, DAP is determined to give Sabahans a viable
choice that they never had in previous elections.(FMT)
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