PBS lost due to money politics, says Bung Moktar
SANDAKAN: Sabah Umno chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has blamed money politics for the huge loss of votes in the Muslim bumiputra areas for Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) candidate Datuk Linda Tsen in the Sandakan by-election.
He claimed that money was used to entice voters.
“Some voters are telling me there was money used. We are checking on the allegations,” said the Kinabatangan member of parliament, adding that they were able to mobilise 3,500 of the 7,900 Umno voters to cast their vote.
However, he said that due to lack of funds, they were not able to bring back the outstation voters.
Bung Moktar added that after the 14th General Election, the Sandakan by-election was a testing ground for them to work out a formula towards creating a Sabah-based opposition coalition.
“We will hold more discussions and come out with a strategy to take on Warisan (Parti Warisan Sabah) and their Pakatan Harapan partners. This is just a stepping stone,” he said.
Meanwhile, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has appealed to the police to thoroughly investigate with utmost professionalism the reports on alleged bribing of voters in the just concluded Sandakan parliamentary by-election.
Describing vote buying as a mockery and serious threat to democracy, PBS information chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said police must not let any stone unturned in their investigation into the report.
He called on those with evidence of vote buying to not hesitate to furnish the police with information to facilitate investigation.
“I appeal to Sandakan voters to display their integrity as defender of justice who clamour for a fair and clean election to come forward and provide whatever information they have on the alleged vote buying to the police,” he said.
Joniston was commenting a statement by State Commissioner of Police Datuk Omar Mammah that police had opened investigation into claims that voters received money amid the Sandakan by-election.
Omar said police received reports of the alleged offence at 12.06am on May 11 and it had opened investigation under Section 10B of the Election Offences Act.
“We trust that police will get to the bottom of the allegation and investigate the matter professionally,” Joniston said.
The Kiulu assemblyman also called on independent election monitoring body, Bersih, to initiate a probe into the allegation.
Noting that Bersih has issued several press statements highlighting and reprimanding contesting parties who appeared to have breached election offences during the campaign period, Joniston thanked Bersih for closely monitoring the proceedings of the by-election.
“As an independent election watchdog, we urge Bersih to include the claims of vote buying in their report to the Election Commission,” he said.
Tsen lost to DAP’s Vivian Wong in a five-cornered contest. Three Independent candidates, Hamzah Abdullah, Sulaiman Abdul Samat and Chia Siew Yung all lost their deposits after obtaining 788 votes, 126 votes and 178 votes respectively.