KOTA KINABALU: Incumbent PH-DAP Chan Foong Hin is involved in a five-cornered fight for the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary seat in the 15th General Election (GE15).
They are GRS-PBS Yee Tsai Yiew, Parti Warisan Amanda Yeo and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) Datuk Seri Winston Liaw, while independent Marcel June is contesting the parliamentary seat for the first time after making two appearances in the state election.
The nomination process, which was headed by returning officer Robert Lipon went smoothly. All the contesting candidates, accompanied by their flag bearer supporters numbering less than 100 in each camp, marched to the Kota Kinabalu community centre to file papers from 9am to 10am.
When met by reporters, Chan, 44, an engineer, said: “I’ve made sure my documentations are in order to ensure no errors. That is the most important thing for today.”
On the issues facing Kota Kinabalu, Chan said the stateless children roaming freely in the city asking for money was getting serious and has become an eyesore for tourists.
“I’ve raised this issue quite a few times in Parliament and in the Town Hall dialogue sessions in Kota Kinabalu.
“This is also part of the illegal immigrant issue that we need to tackle and improve on because Kota Kinabalu is a tourist city,” said Chan.
On his challengers this time around, which he admitted comprised those he knew as friends, Chan said it was normal to face a multi-cornered fight in an election.
Of the two women candidates, Chan said he personally supported the involvement of the youth and women in politics.
“But for the campaign, I’ll ask the people to look at the bigger picture. It is not about gender or age, but the direction of the whole country.
“I’ve always emphasised that the election is not only to choose the MP (member of parliament) for that area. Because among the MPs, they will be choosing who will become the prime minister. That is the ultimate aim for this election,” said Chan.
Liaw, 64, who has been involved in the tourism business for 32 years, said he decided to offer himself as a candidate because he has 50 ways to upgrade all the facilities in Kota Kinabalu.
He said Kota Kinabalu has not been moving forward for decades, and to this day, does not have a proper public transport system to address the massive traffic jams.
He said Sabah needed to do more to woo international tourists to the state in order to expand its economy, as 90 per cent of Sabahans work in the tourism industry.
“I want to make full use of my three decades of experience in the tourism industry to develop the state’s economy.
“Even though the domestic economy is picking up, we’re still lacking in foreign investment,” he said, adding: “We need to develop Kota Kinabalu into a vibrant city so that more tourists will come here to spend their money.”
Yee, 29, said she thinks everyone has an equal fighting chance as they are all doing their best.
“I believe the people know who to vote for,” said Yee who is a lawyer.
Yee is following in her father Datuk Seri Yee Moh Chai’s footsteps. He was the member of parliament for Kota Kinabalu from 2004-2008.
“My father is a good guide. Aside from him, we also have capable leaders in the party who have given me a lot of guidance as well. I believe I can do well in future,” said Yee.
Yeo, 29, an analyst, is confident of achieving a good result in the GE15.
“Being a first-timer, I’m not scared as this election has provided plenty of good opportunities for young candidates to stand out because Sabah needs more young parliamentarians,” she said.
She vowed to come out with a policy that can lower the high cost of living in Kota Kinabalu and introduce an efficient public transport system in the city.
Marcel, 61, a lawyer, said he had already left Parti Solidariti Tanah Air Ku (Sabah Star) to stand as an independent and is not aligned to any big political parties.
Marcel, 61, a lawyer, said he had already left Parti Solidariti Tanah Air Ku (Sabah Star) to stand as an independent and is not aligned to any big political parties.
“This is the first time I’m standing for a Parliamentary election. Previously I stood in the state election for the Api-Api seat. I only garnered double figures and lost deposits.”
Adding, he said: “I am not concerned that eventually the people’s mindset will change because an independent can do more, due to the fact that I’m not linked to any party in the peninsula,” said Marcel.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
