LDP calls for opportunity to carve new path for Chinese community
KOTA KINABALU: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Datuk Chin Su Phin has urged Lahad Datu voters at Segama to support the party’s candidate, Nicholas Voo Vune Kett, in the coming state election.
“Give our Chinese candidate in Lahad Datu an opportunity to carve a new path for the Chinese community.”
He said redelineation of the electoral boundaries in Sabah had given a chance for the Chinese candidate from LDP to contest the new state seat.
He said the party aspired to change the fate of the Chinese community in Lahad Datu, who had been politically marginalized.
“LDP is fielding Nicholas Voo Vune Kett, a young Chinese candidate, for the N61 Segama seat.
“We sincerely hope that the Chinese voters in Lahad Datu will give this Chinese candidate an opportunity to serve them and enable the community to have a larger political power,” he said.
Chin said the Chinese community in Lahad Datu have always been politically sidelined.
“It is high time for Lahad Datu to elect a Chinese assemblyman to represent their voices in the State Legislative Assembly.
“Unite your votes to ensure the political status of the Chinese electorate in Lahad Datu is given recognition.”
Lahad Datu is the fourth largest township in Sabah with a significant population of Chinese. The five major Chinese associations in Lahad Datu, including the Hakka, Hokkien, Teo Chew, Sze Yap and Hainan, have publicly demanded for political representation for the Chinese community.
It was learned that the associations have previously issued a joint statement saying that the Chinese have become increasingly politically insignificant for the past 60 years under Usno, Berjaya, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.
The associations yearn for a Chinese representative to bring the Chinese community in Lahad Datu back to the forefront of politics.
To this, Chin said there are four state seats in Lahad Datu and only LDP fielded a Chinese candidate, Nicholas Voo Vune Kett, who would be contesting in the state election for the first time.
Therefore, he hoped that the Chinese voters in Segama would give Voo their mandate for him to bring progress and address their needs.
He continued to say that the electorate composition of the new state seats shows that the Chinese voters have declined.
Of the 13 new states seats, he said only Segama seat has a highest composition of Chinese voters.
Hence, Chin hoped that the voters could give the LDP candidate an opportunity to carve a new path for themselves and better political representation.