DAP gets 17% more Muslim votes
KOTA KINABALU: Although Muslim community in Sandakan parliamentary are still unfamiliar with “the rocket” symbol, DAP managed to increase their votes to 17 percent.
Strategic Campaigns Director of Semporna Warisan, Datuk Donald Hanapi said Warisan's campaign team in the just concluded Sandakan by-election showed their efforts had paid off.
During the campaign period, Hanapi said Warisan team had been focusing on telling Muslim voters that their vote for DAP meant that they were voting for Warisan.
“Our focus was on two District Voting Centres (PDM) namely Kampung Sim Sim and Pulau Berhala.
“DAP lost in these two areas in the previous election because the Muslims here are not familiar voting for ‘rocket' .
“Fortunately this time around, DAP won handsomely in both Kampung Sim Sim and Berhala Island. My personal opinion, Warisan's campaign strategy was successful,” said Donald.
After the ballot counting ended and announcement of DAP victory, its candidate Vivian Wong personally thanked Warisan team for contributing to the winning, surprisedly increased DAP votes compared to the previous election.
DAP secretary secretary Lim Guan Eng in his speech also praised Donald and his team for successfully convincing Muslim voters to vote based on the candidate and her party's credibility instead of looking at her race or religion.
Almost half the population in Sandakan are Muslim natives Sungai, Suluk and Bajau and others make up some 45 per cent of the voter base.
Areas like Kampung Sim Sim and Pulau Berhala have become major stopping points for the candidates in this five-cornered by-election.
Even Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal who is also the Chief Minister, went to Pulau Berhala twice during the campaign period.
Donald himself is a familiar face in Sandakan as he is the president of Sabah Express Bus Operators Council for more than 10 years.