The Malaysian Insight

SABAH DAP has denied that it bribed Muslim voters in the Sandakan by-election that ended last night. 

State secretary Chan Foong Hin brushed off the allegation, saying the party does not entertain “lies”. 

“No point to respond to lies,” he told The Malaysian Insight. 

Sabah Umno chief Bung Mokthar Radin had blamed money politics for Parti Bersatu Sabah candidate Linda Tsen’s huge loss in Sandakan’s Muslim-majority areas. 

On May 7, the outspoken Kinabatangan MP said of the 14,000 Malay voters in the Sandakan constituency, 9,700 were Umno members, adding the party members were sure to vote for Tsen. 

The Sandakan by-election saw DAP candidate Vivian Wong capture the seat with a resounding 11,521 votes out of 16,012 votes. 

Tsen garnered 4,491 votes, about 5,000 votes less than if all Sabah Umno members were to have voted for her. 

On whether Sabah Umno had lodged an official complaint to the Election Commission, Bung had said: “It is difficult to prove because nobody wants to come forward for fear they will be investigated by the authorities.” 

State Commissioner of Police Omar Mammah said the police has opened an investigation into claims that voters received money during the Sandakan polls.

Omar said police received a report of such an offence at 12.06am on May 11, and opened the investigation under Section 10B of the Election Offences Act.

PBS has urged the police to probe the matter thoroughly. 

Its information chief, Joniston Bangkuai, said police must not leave any stone unturned in its investigation and urged those with evidence of vote-buying to go to the police.

“I appeal to Sandakan voters to display their integrity as defenders 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. – May 12, 2019.