Speech
by DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) Acting National Secretary and DAP Gaya By-election Operations Coordinator, Loke Siew Fook
on Wednesday, October 9, 2002
at the "Let DAP Speak for Sabahans" Solidarity dinner in Kota Kinablu

Call on the Gaya voters especially the younger generations to come out in full force to vote for the DAP candidate to ensure the return of democracy in Sabah and to push for Kota Kinabalu to have the first elected Mayor in Malaysia

There will be 2 more days to go for campaigning before the polling day for the Gaya by-election this coming Saturday. There is no doubt that the single issue that concerned most of the Gaya electorate in the whole campaign period is the issue of high parking rates in Kota Kinabalu city.

The KK City Hall has just announced yesterday that it will revise parking rates for type C beginning October 15 for Telipok and Menggatal and Nov 1 for areas within and outside the city limits. However, charges for type A and B will remain the same. The rate cut in parking fees during this campaign period is clearly a "sweetener" used by the Barisan Nasional to lessen the dissatisfaction of the city folks in hoping that that will not vote against the government to show their protest. If there is no by-election, will the City Hall ever listen to the grievances of the city folks and review the parking rates?

I call on the Gaya voters not to fall into the trap of the BN tactics and must vote for the DAP to send clear a message to the BN that the votes on their hands is not just to protest the high parking fees but

to elect a party that can really speak up for their rights, safeguard their interest and to be a real watchdog that can ensure a free, fair and clean system of governance.

The root causes of the high parking rates issue and the many unresolved local issues affecting the KK city folks are the undemocratic system of local government. The appointment system of the City Mayor has given

him vast executive power in the administration of the City Hall and he is not answerable to the ratepayers.  Therefore, the DAP has call for the total reform of the administration of the City Hall and the Mayor must be elected by the people to ensure that whoever become the Mayor, he or she must listen to the wishes of the people.

It is certainly not true that there are no big issues in Sabah as there are many allegations of scandals, corruptions and government malpractices in Sabah. It's because of the lack of opposition and the absence of a strong mechanism to monitor the conduct of the state government that has caused many of these issues swept under the carpet. Sabahans must ensure a balance in the system of governance by voting a DAP Member of Parliament from Sabah to be the voice of the people of Sabah.

I urge the Gaya voters especially the younger generations to come out in full force this Saturday to vote for the DAP candidate to ensure the return of democracy in Sabah and to push for Kota Kinabalu to have the first elected Mayor in Malaysia.