KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng credited the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s leadership as among major reasons for his party’s “shocking” landslide victory in yesterday’s Sandakan by-election.
The party’s Vivian Wong won with a larger majority despite the low voter turnout, which Lim said today was a rousing endorsement for the federal government and Sabah state administration.
“As the Sandakan by-election result proves, the Opposition can not match Warisan, DAP and Pakatan Harapan’s combination stressing moderation and uniting Malaysians representing all races, religions and locality,” Lim said in a statement today.
“This rejection of the divisive and destructive racist politics, religious extremism and corruption of the opposition, is the best gift for the first-year anniversary of Warisan and PH winning power at the state and federal government.”
Lim also said the result showed that voters no longer tolerated crony capitalism and the corruption associated with former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration, and instead desired PH’s brand of “people-centric development.”
He also credited the late Datuk Stephen Wong with laying the foundation for his daughter’s significant winning margin and thanked Warisan, PH, and DAP for the combined efforts to secure the crucial victory.
Vivian won by a majority of 11,521 votes to surpass her father’s 10,098 from the 14th general election despite a turnout of just 54 per cent.
