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BINTULU – With just two days to go before polling for the Jepak state by-election here, Gabungan Parti Sarawak has expressed concern over the emergence of bookies hoping to cash in on the political event.
Its election team director, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan said there was talk among voters that bookies had since begun taking bets on the victory margins.
“This is something that worries us. We have learnt of certain unscrupulous individuals trying to make some fast money on the election results.
“We are concerned that this kind of activity will make a mockery of the entire election and may even influence the outcome,” he said when meeting constituents in Kuala Tatau today.
Tengah, who is deputy premier and deputy president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) said voters must come out in big numbers to exercise their rights and not be influenced by other factors, especially illegal ones.
He said he has since asked all party members and others concerned to keep a close watch on such activities and to report them immediately.
“We are also worried that some voters will lose big amounts of money on this illegal activity and this is something we will monitor closely,” he added.
The Jepak by-election this Saturday will be a three-cornered fight between GPS candidate Iskandar Turkee, Aspirasi’s Chieng Lea Phing and Parti Bumi Kenyalang candidate Stevenson Sumbang.
The main opposition parties in the state like Pakatan Harapan and Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) had decided not to contest.
Jepak, located within the Bintulu parliamentary seat, has a total 22,804 registered voters. – The Vibes, November 1, 2023