Four party symbols approved for first State polls
Published on: Wednesday, March 08, 1967
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Today is Nomination Day for these elections when nomination of candidates will be carried out from 10 o’clock in the morning to 12 noon, at the various nomination centres throughout the State. Electioneering campaign by the candidates will start immediately.
Polling will start from April 8 when 193,713 registered voters will go to the 628 polling booths to cast their votes, to decide who will fill the 32 seats at the next State Legislature where the majority Party will form the next State Government. Results will be counted on April 30.
The eve of Nomination Day yesterday say all, political parties headquarters in Jesselton feverishly putting up their final touches for this great day today, preparing nomination papers, setting up electioneering machinery and finalising their campaigning preparations.
All the political parties participating in these elections are components of the Sabah Alliance. They are the United Sabah National Organisation (Usno), United Pasok-Momogun Organisation (Upko), the Sabah Chinese Association (SCA) and the Sabah Indian Congress (SIC). They will fill all the 32 constituencies, though up to last night, it was still not clear how they would divide these amongst themselves.
Political circles said last night that the Usno might field 17 or 18 candidates, SCA 6 or 7 seats and Upko whose decision was still unclear, perhaps might put up more than the balance of the seats. In that case, according to these circles, Upko candidates might have to stand on their own, rather than to place themselves under the Alliance banner.
There was an earlier suggestion of “friendly contest” amongst the Alliance candidates but this has been turned down, these circles said.
These political circles also predicted more than 20 Independent candidates in today’s nomination. Of these, 17 are from the retired civil service. (Two of them who announced their resignation for contesting, in the elections have withdrawn).
Enche Habib Abdul Rahman bin Habib Mahmud, Secretary-General of the Usno, told the Daily Express yesterday morning that with the nomination day only 24 hours away, his party has drawn up its final line-up of Usno candidates. However, he declined to reveal the number of candidates the Usno was fielding throughout the State.
It was reliably learned that the SCA would field six candidates for the race. Enche Chok Min Toh, Chairman of the SCA’s Election Committee said, the party’s election machinery was in top form for operational duties.
The Secretary-General of Upko, Enche Peter Mojuntin, at the party’s head-quarters smilingly said: “Well, we are almost ready for the big day for which, we have all waited so long. Our list of candidates is almost completed.”
At the Federal Election Commission’s office here Enche H. S. Sidhu, the Supervisor for Election Commission, said the election machinery is fully geared for the Nomination Day. He said there were no last minutes hitches and he felt the Commission will have no major problem during the polling period.
Iron-clad measures will be taken to ensure the safe custody of the ballot boxes in order that to see that the boxes were not tampered with.
He had in fact, stressed upon the political parties the need of affixing their own seals on the boxes, to be on the safe side, Enche Sidhu explained.
He said the political parties in Sabah have been exceptionally good in extending their co-operation to the Election Commission.
He said where transport was a problem, ballot boxes will be carried by boots, helicopters, and porters from one polling station to another.
In some cases, the election team will travel for about one week before reaching the polling station.
Enche Sidhu said the Election Commission has approved a list of four party symbols namely for the Sabah Alliance, a sailing boat, Usno Mt. Kinabalu, Upko a baffalo and SCA a four white rings circle.
There are also 15 non-party symbols which have been approved by the Election Commission for Sabah, namely, umbrella, flower, fish, bicycle, fowl, bell, tea pot, table, spectacle, fan, ball, chair, pail, lamp and shoe.
The following are the break-down figures of registered voters for each State constituency: Kudat-5453; Bengkokka Banggi-7478; Langkon-6664; Tandek-3399; Usukan-6067; Sorob-8215; Sulaman-7292; Kiulu-5789; Jesselton Bandar-5679; Tanjong Aru-8636; Moyog-10220; Papar-4718; Bongawan-7540; Kuala Penyu-6532; Labuan-5854; Beaufort-6827; Tenom-5306; Sipitang Ulu Padas-4897; Keningau-4683; Pensiangan-Sook-7053; Ranau-7576; Tambunan-4626; Sandakan Bandar-4924; Elopura-4539; Sugut-5273; Labuk-5471; Kuala Kinabatangan-6888; Lamag-4883; Lahad Datu-4760; Semporna-8134; Merotai-3262 and Balung-5075.
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