Musa again denies BN fishing for sympathy votes
By Charlie Rudai, Free Malaysia Today
SANDAKAN: The suggestion that the Barisan Nasional candidate Linda Tsen will be a featherweight parliamentarian has put the BN election machinery in a flap.
Battling perception that their candidate is a BN rubber-stamp, the ruling coalition election machinery has been vociferously advancing her as the ‘best candidate’ for the job.
Chief Minister Musa Aman again dismissed claims that BN had fielded Tsen to gain sympathy votes in the Batu Sapi parliamentary by-election following the death of her husband, MP Edmund Chong in a road accident on Oct 9.
“I think that it is not fair to say that the she is still mourning and BN wants to fish sympathy votes … She (Tsen) is a lady who wants to contribute.
“(In fact) she came to see me and Joseph Pairin Kitingan (Parti Bersatu Sabah president) offering to continue her late husband’s service to the people in Batu Sapi.
“So to me she is a worthy candidate for BN because she really wants to serve the people and continue the good work of her late husband, Edmund Chong,” he said.
Musa, who is Sabah BN chief and operation director for the by-election, also said Tsen’s selection as the candidate was a recognition to women.
“A woman can become president of a country so what more an MP. She wants to contribute and she is not going for sympathy votes, so to me that kind of talk is nonsense,” he said.
New landmark
The chief minister later congratulated Lai Fook Kim Brothers managing director, Ramona Lai, for setting up a private medical centre here that also operates as a charity.
He said the State government would consider approving the construction of an access road to the medical centre located in Jalan Utara and linked to the new highway.
“When I was first told about the project by Tham Nyip Shen two days ago I said I will look into it but (now I know) when listening from Ramona that the hospital was to realise the dream of her late father, Lai Fook Kim.
“I know him quite well because I use to see him when I was a young businessman and he was a very good friend of the former chief minister Harris Salleh.
“The project augurs well with the plan to upgrade the Sandakan Airport into an international airport, creation of the education hub and the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC).
“These developments are set to create economic spin-offs for the businesses, which will benefit the people of Sandakan, as well.
“I think it is high time that we have one (private medical centre) and it will also be a new landmark for Sandakan,” said Musa who is also the Sungai Sibuga assemblyman.
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