Kah Kiat helping to woo Chinese voters

SANDAKAN: Former Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat is back as the advisor of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to assist its candidates in the coming election, after being quiet in the political scene for 11 years.

He delivered a speech to about 700 local Chinese community members during a lunch gathering with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel here on Monday.

In his speech, Chong said that for the past 11 years that he was not actively involved in politics, he had observed and identified what the problem is with the Chinese community.

“For the past decade, from what I observed on the ground, the Chinese community must learn to stay calm and think properly before casting your votes. If you want to ensure that the Chinese community will continue to have a place (higher position) in the country, Sabah and Sandakan, then Barisan Nasional (BN) is the right choice.

“We want stability and continuous harmony that we are enjoying today,” he said.

Chong said that he returned to the political field not for personal interest, but to fight for the wellbeing of the Chinese community in Sabah.

He also spoke in Hakka dialect and said that only under the leadership of Najib and Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman that the local Chinese would have a good future.

“Take Warisan (Parti Warisan Sabah) for an example, they are positioning one Chinese candidate in the federal seat (in Sabah) and only three Chinese candidates in state seats, while BN is putting a lot of Chinese representatives in federal and state seats in Sabah. So it is important for us to weigh which party to choose for the Chinese community to continue to have a place in the country’s leadership,” he said.

Chong was the 13th Chief Minister of Sabah and former president of LDP.