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BINTULU – Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leaders are making extra efforts to ensure voters do not take the Jepak by-election lightly since the ruling coalition is already seen as having secured victory due to the absence of any major opposition challenge.
Component Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) wants to see GPS’ candidate Iskandar Turkee win by a huge majority.
The chief of its women’s wing, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, said it is a challenge to get voters to come out en masse for polling this Saturday.
“We don’t want a situation where voters do not turn out in big numbers,” she said.
“We in PBB Wanita are getting our election machinery to bring out the youth, women who are housewives, and also senior citizens to go to vote.
“We want a very big margin of victory. We don’t want to see low turnout where voters take the by-election lightly,” she said after checking on the campaigning activities in Jepak.
Iskandar, in his visits to the villages, also urged young voters and those who are first-timers to cast their ballots.
“I hope to see a big number of youths voting. That will be a good sign that the young are interested in the local development agendas we have for their localities,” he said after visiting a community gathering.
Since nomination day on October 21 for the Sarawak state constituency, there has been no mega public rally as yet.
The opposing candidates have been going around meeting and greeting voters on small-scale street visits.
PBB deputy women chief Datuk Rosey Yunus explained that the campaign by GPS is focused on personal meet-and-greet sessions for now.
“The village meetings and coffeeshop rounds allow us to personally talk to the public. These casual rounds can be useful to get direct feedback from the people,” she told reporters in Bintulu town.
PBB is the backbone party of GPS, which is facing Aspirasi and Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) in a three-cornered fight.
Aspirasi and PBK have not held public rallies either to woo the constituency’s 23,000 voters.
Aspirasi candidate Chieng Lea Phing, in the meantime, is meeting and greeting members of the public who are thronging his shop-cum-office in Bintulu town.
The businessman said there are customers who have visited him to discuss local matters of concern such as the high cost of consumer items.
Many are struggling due to the rising costs of living in Bintulu. He said that he wants to help them and this by-election is the opportunity to represent them.
The other contestant, PBK’s Stevenson Sumbang, has been also going on small-scale campaign walks. – The Vibes October 31, 2023