SANDAKAN, May 11 — Election Commission returning officer Hamsan Awang Supain has confirmed DAP’s Vivian Wong’s victory in the Sandakan by-election with 16,012 votes.
This is a majority of 11,521 votes compared to her closest rival Datuk Linda Tsen from Parti Bersatu Sabah who took 4,491 votes.
Independents Hamzah Abdullah took 788 votes, Chia Siew Yung had 178 and Sulaiman Abdul Samat had 126.
Out of the 21,595 people who voted, 18 were unreturned and 234 were rejected.
In last year’s general election, her father, the late Datuk Stephen Wong, won by a 10,098 majority, which was unprecedented back then.
Wong was seen smiling broadly at the SMJK Tionghua hall in her white shirt and black long pants while her mother and party leaders cheered her from below.
She attributed the win to her party leaders, chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, component parties of Pakatan Harapan, her supportive mother, voters but most importantly, her father.
“I’m also really, really grateful to my father with who I owe this journey to. I could not have done this without him and he is a big part of who I am. I would not be the strong, young lady I am without him. My win today is for him.
“The first thing I will do tomorrow is to visit his grave,” she said, visibly emotional and trying to hold back tears.
