Media Statement
by DAP Gaya by-election committee chairperson and International Secretary, Teresa Kok Suh Si
m in Gaya, Sabah
on Wednesday, 2nd October 2002

 

Let DAP Speak for Sabahans

 

On Sep 25, the DAP Central Working Committee decided to contest the by-election for the Gaya parliamentary seat, left vacant after the disqualification of Datuk Yong Teck Lee because of the significance of this by-election. The DAP sees the occasion of the Gaya by-election as a valuable opportunity to draw the attention of the Gaya voters to several important national issues such as the deterioration of democracy and the subversion of our national democratic institutions, the multifarious and gross violation of

human rights, the lack of press freedom and the far-reaching implications of the September 29 declaration that Malaysia is an Islamic State.

 

The Party believes there is a need for a strong and viable Opposition in the state. The return of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) to Barisan Nasional has created an Opposition vacuum, resulting in a state of political disequilibrium, where there is no Opposition representation at all to act as checks and balances to the excesses of the ruling party. By our decision to contest, we are giving an alternative to the Gaya electorate to vote for a viable Opposition party that can effectively voice their grievances.

 

We believe that the DAP can play a significant role as watchdog for the people based on its good track record in Gaya as well as the state. For instance, in the 1986 general election, the Party had won the seat through its candidate, Gerard Math who polled 12,388 votes against BN’s Joseph Chia’s 4,180 votes, winning by a resounding 8,000 vote-majority. Hence, we feel that the party ought to contest in the forthcoming Gaya by-election as it has a fighting chance of winning the seat.

 

There are a plethora of local and state issues affecting the constituents of Gaya specifically which the DAP will highlight. These include:

 

  1. The arrogance and authoritarianism of the Kota Kinabalu City Mayor who is ignorant and apathetic to the grouses of the people of Gaya;

  2. High car park fees imposed on KK residents which create an undue burden on them.

 

Besides, there are numerous long-standing problems in the state that the authorities have failed to effectively address, some of which are:

 

  1. Illegal immigrants – Before the Ops Nyah II Federal government amnesty for the deportation of illegal immigrants, there were more than 700,000 illegal immigrants (mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines) in Sabah. Due to the absence of any contingency plan by the state government, the mass exodus of foreign workers caused a large vacuum in the labour market. As a result, there are insufficient workers in the plantation and construction industries as well as service sectors and this in turn, had caused heavy losses to many companies – affecting Sabah’s economy as a whole;

  2. Corruption and mismanagement – There have been many cases of corruption and mismanagement scandals in the state. One of the worst cases is the mismanagement of the Sabah Foundation, which concerns the issuance of the “Saham Sabah”. The quick gains made by insiders have caused the share prices to drop from RM3 to RM0.20 per unit now.

 

All these issues faced by Sabahans and the people of Gaya prove that there is a real and pressing need for an Opposition party with a good-track record to effectively voice their grievances and aspirations, and we believe that the DAP can play this role and be the voice of Sabahans in Parliament.