DAP now unnerved in Sandakan

MM Online - With fears of low turnout, Sandakan Muslim votes become focus (extracts)

The Muslim vote has become a crucial vote bank for both DAP and PBS as the Sandakan by-election looms

Picture courtesy of Parti Bersatu Sabah

Once, Sandakan had been known as “Little Hong Kong” for its many Chinese settlers, bustling trade during its heydays and cornucopia of Chinese cuisine, but a visitor now would not know this just from walking the streets of the town, even on its touristy waterfront esplanade.

Today, most shops and the market are run by Muslims who live in the township and in the vicinity. [...]

In this federal constituency, the second largest city in Sabah, just under half the population in the federal constituency are Muslim natives — Orang Sungai, Suluk and Bajau and others make up some 45 per cent of the voter base — but they tend to be overshadowed by the more affluent Chinese community that is now spread out in the suburbs or moved on to other cities.

Previous misconceptions may have portrayed Sandakan as a clear Chinese majority seat but, now, the competing politicians have realised otherwise and are quickly shifting their attention to the large Muslim community that may be the new kingmakers.

[...] “The town used to be bustling. Even when the timber boom died down we still did OK. But lately, it’s just gotten so bad. There’s no tourists, no activity, no movement. I think everybody has been struggling since prices went up in the last few years”.

The fishermen of Kampung Sim Sim, Kampung Pukat, and Pulau Berhala also complain about the lack of direct aid like the Bantuan Sara Hidup since the new government came in and said the low-cost homes promised to them still have not materialised.

This is where Umno, stumping for the Opposition Parti Bersatu Sabah’s candidate, has stepped in to use the unfulfilled promises against the nascent state and federal governments.

[...] Sabah Umno chief Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin has also pledged that 9,700 Umno members, or half of the total Muslim Bumiputera voters in Sandakan, will back PBS and called on others in the community to also vote the same way.

The call to arms has unnerved DAP, which in turn is urging voters to turn up in numbers to vote on polling day, in the hopes that a high turnout will tip the scales in their favour again.

WTF? 

In my previous post on the Sandakan by-election titled Will Sandakan be a loss for DAP? I had jokingly said: ... if DAP were to lose in the coming by-election, Lim Kit Siang must make a bungee jump from Petronas twin Towers, mind, with sweet naive innocent Kaytee supplying him the gunny strings for that wonderful moment, wakakaka.

But of late, it seems my joke may even come true, to wit, that it's possible though highly improbable, the DAP may actually lose the Sandakan by-election.

In my previous post, I did write:

... the DAP may not have a smooth waltz in the by-election, because there has been growing disenchantment with the "new" Pakatan government. No doubt DAP supporters in Sandakan would have noted the deafening silence of their leaders in Putrajaya whenever Mahathir (and his Pribumi Party cohorts, known as UMNO III) "reverted" to his old naughty ways.







Then, the economy has been sliding down the 'gurgle'. And to add on to Pakatan woes, there are warnings that 75% of PKR party members in Sabah could leave the party if their welfare continued to be ignored.

While PKR is only an ally, and at times a foe (wakakaka), it'll still be a great loss of votes to the DAP if the Sabah PKR people were to abandon the one-eyed party.

While the Muslims in Sandakan aren't like their Peninsular counterparts vis-a-vis the 'pribumi-ummah bersatu' clarion call, there has been growing discontent with the Pakatan label down town, where the Muslims (in quite considerable figures) are not at all happy with their current economic woes.

These voters don't give two figs about stuff Peninsulareans are interested in, eg. Lim KS-sponsored 1MDB lamentations, Lynas, PM-Royals spat, etc etc - they want their 3 bowls of rice and a better home.

still screaming about 1MDB 

And it looks like PBS and UMNO are capitalising on these.

Another worrying factor for the DAP is the predicted likely low turnout on polling day, where ridiculously low figures of only 35% Chinese will cast their ballots. If that comes true, then Vivian Wong will be a goner.

And thus the DAP big guns have been thumping on their chests and tearing at their hair, urging and pleading to the 'converted' to return home to vote.

Additionally as a mighty counter, the popular Shafie Apdal, CM of Sabah, is also campaigning for the pribumi votes for Vivian and may help swing the wavering voters over to Sweetie.

If the worst comes to the worst, Pakatan Harapan may be looking at a 4th consecutive loss, though I still think Vivian Wong has a slight edge.

Very exciting times. Who says that Sandakan is a sure winner for the DAP? Ooops, I did, wakakaka.