Vote for change of political landscape
KOTA KINABALU: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Datuk Chin Su Phin has urged Chinese voters in Sabah, especially those in Kota Kinabalu, Batu Sapi, Sandakan and Tawau to support Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) candidates in the 15th General Election (GE15).
This is to enable the formation of a Borneo Bloc with Sarawak in order to change the political landscape of the country.
Chin said the 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah, coupled with Sarawakian members of parliament (MPs), could become a formidable political force under the Borneo Bloc that dictates the next federal government and prime minister among the three main political alliances in West Malaysia.
He said the GE15 is chaotic and confusing to a lot of voters, especially Sabahans.
“Many have asked me who are the right candidates to vote for.”
He said Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) each have their own pool of supporters, though PN appears to the weaker alliance seeing that its chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is working with PAS despite the party’s extremist stance in order to garner Malay voters’ support.
“Muhyiddin has even hinted that an elected representative from PAS would be made the Menteri Besar in Perlis and Pahang should the coalition manage to capture both states, hoping that this will secure a win for PN in Malaymajority constituencies.”
“This is worrying to voters because PAS will grow stronger in Malaysia if this becomes reality.”
Meanwhile, Chin said BN could win big in GE15 if Umno had restructured and gotten rid of its corrupt leaders after the previous polls.
“It is tough to convince voters that BN is committed to combating corruption when their leaders who have been hauled to court for graft charges are still helming and party and contesting in GE15.”
He said the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was confident that BN could capture 113 seats in the upcoming polls, while PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim believed that the coalition could win in more than 100 parliamentary constituencies.
On the other hand, Muhyiddin claimed that PN stood a chance in forming the next federal government on its own.
“Like it or not, the votes will be divided between PH, PN and BN, even though it is unclear who the new voters will root for.”
As for Sabah, Chin said both GRS and Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) tout themselves as local-based parties.
He pointed out that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is likely going to win 25 to 28 seats due to the overwhelming support for local parties.
As none of PH, PN and BN have an edge over one another to capture Putrajaya on its own, it boils down to securing the support from Sabah and Sarawak to form a new federal government.
Similarly, he said in Sabah BNUmno and Bersatu have their existing base of supporters, while Star and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) will win a few seats as well should the Kadazandusun voters remain loyal to the parties.
“Voters in Sabah have mixed feelings about who to vote for.
“Some are inclined to vote for PH because they prefer Anwar as prime minister over Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi or Ismail Sabri from Umno.”
Chin said it is high time for Sabahan voters to bring forth changes by enabling the formation of a local party alliance, as opposed to giving their votes to peninsular-based Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) or Democratic Action Party (DAP).
He called on Sabahans to support GRS for the coalition to form the Borneo Bloc with Sarawak, which will enable Sabah and Sarawak to dictate the next federal government and prime minister.
“We do not wish to see elected representatives from Sabah betraying the interest of their own people in exchange for government positions or personal interests.”
He argued that Anwar, who was previously an Umno leader, may not be able to bring changes to Sabah as the people hope for if PH becomes government.