LDP eyes SAPP-held west coast seats

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KEPAYAN: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is eyeing constituencies in the west coast of Sabah in the 13th general election, with its president Datuk VK Liew urging the Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership to consider allocating seats held by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) to the party.

Liew, who is also LDP Kepayan division chief, said the party’s leaders and elected representatives have proved they are able to meet the aspirations of the people.

Asked whether LDP wanted to be considered for the parliamentary or state seats, Liew replied “both”.

To the question if the party had identified the seats it was interested in, Liew replied, “most likely seats that were left by SAPP.”

Liew also reiterated LDP’s stand on the Karamunting seat which the party won in the 2008 election through its former member Datuk Peter Pang En Yin.

Pang has since left LDP and joined Gerakan.

“As I said before it is not negotiable. He (Pang) stood on BN LDP ticket in 2008 and it was LDP seat in 1999 and 2004. So there is no reason to disturb that,” he said at the LDP Kepayan and Moyog divisions’ annual general meeting here on Tuesday night.

“How can a member of a political party, who left the party as a YB after having won it on the party ticket, take the seat away? That is against the principle of BN and once that happens, it will break up the BN concept and that will not be good.

“I will not allow that to happen,” the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department stressed.

When officiating at the meeting earlier, Liew pointed out that LDP’s political journey shows that the party has yet to be able to capture a seat in the west coast of Sabah.

“We have set our fort in Kudat, Tawau and Sandakan. We have shown to the people of Sabah we can deliver by giving our best services to the people in these areas.

“In Kudat and Merotai, our YB Datuk Teo Chee Kang and YB Datuk Pang Yuk Ming, together with their teams, have proven their ability and brought the voices of the people to the government.

“We soon will see a coastal highway going all the way to Kudat, and a CIQ, while the KWSP office will remain in Kudat, an effort made by our YB Datuk Teo together with other YBs in Kudat.

“Datuk Pang has managed to get fund to set up many PPRT houses for the poor in Merotai, build roads in the villages, get clean water supply and electricity to the rural areas there, and he recently secured assurance from the government that a highway from Tawau to Semporna will be built.

“While in Sandakan, we turned wooden bridges into concrete bridges, not one or two bridges but 24 bridges covering the entire village in Kampung Sim-Sim, built the first lift in a public market, got the Federal Government to build dual carriageway from Mile 8 to Mile 32, opened the taxi route from Sandakan town to all the districts in Sandakan, got the Federal Government to commit to upgrade Sandakan Airport and Duchess of Kent Hospital and played a role in the setting up of the education hub,” Liew said.

The people can see the dedicated services of LDP elected representatives, where they bring their services right to the people’s doorsteps by visiting them in their residential areas, kampungs and islands without the people having to come and visit them in their service centres in the town, Liew said.

He said although they have family and work commitments in Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur, LDP elected representatives and leaders make it a point to return to their respective constituencies almost on a weekly basis as they truly ‘mendahulukan rakyat’ in their commitments.

“I believe the time has come for us to extend our services, our commitment and our dedication to the people in the west coast of Sabah which up until today we still do not have a base or a fort.

“I have a team of people who are willing and able professionals dedicated to give their best services to the people in the west coast of Sabah such as Kota Kinabalu areas and its immediate surroundings.

“I am confident that the people in Sabah will continue to give us the mandate to serve them and to bring their voices and concerns not only to the state government but also its federal counterpart,” Liew said.