Datuk Joniston Bangkuai
SANDAKAN: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has appealed to the police to thoroughly investigate with utmost professionalism the reports on alleged bribing of voters in the just concluded Sandakan parliamentary by-election.
Describing vote buying as a mockery and serious threat to democracy, PBS information chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said police must not let any stone unturned in their investigation into the report.
He called on those with evidence of vote buying to not hesitate to furnish the police with information to facilitate investigation.
“I appeal to Sandakan voters to display their integrity as defender of justice who clamour for a fair and clean election to come forward and provide whatever information they have on the alleged vote buying to the police,” he said.
Joniston was commenting a statement by State Commissioner of Police Datuk Omar Mammah that police has opened investigation into claims that voters received money amid the Sandakan by-election.
Omar said police received reports of the alleged offence at 12.06am on May 11 and it has opened investigation under Section 10B of the Election Offences Act.
“We trust that police will get to the bottom of the allegation and investigate the matter professionally,” Joniston said.
The Kiulu Assemblyman also called on independent election monitoring body, Bersih, to initiate a probe into the allegation.
Noting that Bersih have issued several press statements highlighting and reprimanding contesting parties who appeared to have breached Election Offences during the campaign period, Joniston thanked Bersih for closely monitoring the proceedings of the by-election.
“As an independent election watchdog, we urge Bersih to include the claims of vote buying in their report to the Election Commission,” he said.