BUTTERWORTH, May 12 — The victory of the DAP candidate in the Sandakan Parliamentary by-election was a message from the people in the state who want their rights to be returned.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said, although the party was shocked at the large win by its candidate Vivian Wong, but it was a sign that the people in the state wanted the positions of Sabah and Sarawak to be restored as in the Federal Constitution on the Malaysian Agreement 1963 (MA 63).
According to Lim, it was a signal and reminder that the people of Sabah and Sarawak wanted to restore their original position with a constitutional amendment so that the status of Sabah and Sarawak could be returned full of dignity for the state and people.
‘‘The government under the leadership of the Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had tried to make an amendment to the constitution but was thwarted by the opposition in parliament,’’ he said after attending breaking-the-fast and handing over contributions to mosques and surau at the Jamek Mosque Kubang Buaya.
Lim, who is also Finance Minister, said definitely, the people of Sabah and Sarawak wanted their positions be restored to the original status and rights of Sabah and Sarawak, in accordance with the Malaysian Agreement 1963, by giving victory to the Pakatan Harapan candidate.
‘‘It is a surprising win because we did not expect to win this big despite the drop by 18 per cent in the voters’ turnout but the winning majority could go up by almost eight per cent,’’ he said.
The result of the Sandakan Parliamentary by-election yesterday saw DAP defending the seat after Wong, 30, beat her four challengers with a 11,521 majority after garnering 16,012 votes.
Earlier, Lim, who is also Bagan Member of Parliament, handed over RM4,000 to seven mosques and RM1,000 to 21 surau.
He hoped the contributions would, to a certain extent, help Muslims at the mosques and surau to face the month of Ramadan and the Aidilfitri celebration.
‘‘The government will always stress on religious affairs in the country whereby RM1.2 million is allocated under the 2019 Budget for the same purpose,’’ he said. — Bernama
