Gerakan hopes to get two new seats
Published on: Sunday, September 04, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan) wants to contest in two of the 13 newly created State seats in the next general election.The party also has openly expressed interest to wrest the Sandakan parliamentary seat which is currently held by the opposition DAP. Sabah Gerakan Liaison Chairman Datuk Gordon Leong (pic) believes the party deserves to be given the chance based on its performance in the last election and excellent service record of its two incumbents.
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"In the last election, Gerakan contested in two State seats and won both. Until today, both our assemblymen have performed excellently well in their respective constituencies. "So it's not too much for Sabah Gerakan to ask to be given the chance to contest in two of the additional seats in the next election," he said in his speech during the State Gerakan 20th Delegates Conference, Saturday.He also said the party has been in Sabah for 20 years and is well accepted by the people.He expressed confidence that the party has winnable candidates to win the seats for the Barisan Nasional.
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Gerakan's two seats in Sabah are Tanjung Papat held by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Raymond Tan and Elopura by Datuk Au Kam Wah.As both seats are in Sandakan, the party believes it has a better chance of winning in the district.
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"I appeal to the party president to fight for one parliamentary seat for Gerakan," he said.The Sandakan parliamentary seat had been traditionally given to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) but lost it to the DAP in the 13th general election.Echoing Leong's call, Gerakan Deputy President Datuk Dr Cheah Soon Hai said what is important for the party is to win all the seats it is given to contest."As one of the eight component BN parties, we will register our interest to contest in two more seats in Sabah. "We have an outstanding track record in the State and we're confident that we can win," he said.The State Legislative Assembly last month passed two Bills to increase the number of elected representatives and seats from 60 to 73.Cheah also called upon Gerakan leaders in the State to study and analyse the re-delineation of electoral boundaries to determine the areas where it is strong. Party Vice President (Datuk Raymond) Tan insisted that the matter concerning the allocation of seats should be left to the Election Commission.He said the additional 13 seats are meant to ensure that the people are served better. "We are not going to ask (for seats) for the sake of asking just because Gerakan wants it. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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