Labuan MP pledges to revive Labuan’s economy
LABUAN: Newly-elected Member of Parliament for Labuan, Datuk Dr Suhaili Abd Rahman, who contested the seat under the Perikatan Nasional ticket in the 15th General Election (GE15), has pledged to lead the island through economic uncertainties and regain its glory.
Suhaili, 61, was Labuan Member of Parliament for two terms, having won in the 1999 and 2004 general elections. He has been politically active again for less than two years (from 2021) and pledged to bring an end to the long-overdue issues plaguing the island population and nudging away investors.
“The people have witnessed the slowdown of economic activities on this duty-free island, the rising unemployment rate, and the number of business closures which are worrying.
“Now is the time for us to look forward and bring back the glory of Labuan as an attractive dutyfree island and a viable economic destination. I must work hard to restore the trust of the people and I am not daunted. I hope to live up to people’s expectations,” he said in an interview with Bernama on Sunday.
Suhaili said that decades of water and power supply (weekly) disruptions, which have become a norm among the locals, must be resolved in the interests of the people and investors.
Suhaili, former Labuan Corporation chairman, said that the RM86 million Labuan Halal Hub, which has become a white elephant project, would be revived to generate economic activity and create employment opportunities.
A Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) supreme council member, Suhaili recaptured the Labuan parliamentary seat after defeating Datuk Bashir Alias of Barisan Nasional (BN) by a 708vote majority.
He obtained 8,124 votes, compared with 7,416 votes garnered by Bashir.
The results were announced by Election Commission (EC) returning officer, Yusup Mohamad, at the vote tallying centre at Labuan Matriculation College, at 10.16 pm on Saturday night.
Voter turnout was 64.66 per cent, with 28,449 out of the 44,484 registere d voters casting their ballots.
Suhaili’s victory not only sees him wresting back the seat, which he won in the 1999 and 2004 general elections, but also reinforced his position as Bersatu supreme council member, and the party’s standing on the island.