Kota Kinabalu: Veteran politician Datuk David Chong Ket Sui said the unprecedented number of 596 contestants in the 17th Sabah Election shows the state’s economy has strengthened since the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) took over from Warisan.
He noted there are also 23 political parties and 74 independents eyeing the 73 seats on Nov 29, the highest in Malaysian history.
“The Election Commission will collect RM2,980,000 from the deposit of RM5,000 paid by each candidate,” he said.
Based on a rough estimation, with each candidate spending at least RM250,000 to run their machinery and campaigns, about RM149,000,000 is expected to be injected into the state, he said.
This, he said, contradicts the claim that Sabah is poor and urged the people to acknowledge the state’s ongoing development and economic progress the past five years.
“The situation is a clear sign that Sabah’s economy is moving forward, given that so many parties and individuals have the means to fund campaigns across the State.
“People keep saying Sabah is poor, but look at what is happening. Never in Malaysian history have we seen so many candidates.
“And never have we seen so much money spent on campaigning. Only Sabah can do this. It shows that the economy is alive, people have money, and confidence is high,” said Chong.
He was referring to the thousands of political flags, banners and billboards mushrooming in every nook and corner of the State as parties and candidates compete to outdo one another.
