SABAH Pakatan Harapan will go out in full force to win back the Sandakan parliamentary seat on May 11, its chief Christina Liew said today.

She said Sabah PH would have to work hard to win the by-election as a number of parties would be eyeing the seat.

“We will be going out in full force to help our PH candidate from Sabah DAP to win back the seat.

“I will lead a PKR team comprising members statewide to the district on nomination day and the party president Anwar Ibrahim will also be coming after the nomination day,” said Liew, who was a panellist for the Celebrating Women Leadership discussion in Kota Kinabalu.

It is understood that Sabah PAS, Parti Bersatu Sabah and Parti Perpaduan Rakyat Sabah have already announced their interest or are presently assessing the possibilities of fielding candidates in the upcoming by-poll.

The Sandakan seat fell vacant following the death of its incumbent MP Stephen Wong – who was also Sabah DAP chairman – due to heart attack.

The nomination day has been set on April 27, while the early voting and polling dates set on May 7 and May 11.

When asked about who will be PH’s candidate, Liew kept mum but indicated that Sabah DAP had its candidate.

The likely choice seen to contest in the seat at present will be Wong’s daughter, Vivian Wong, 30, who had worked closely with her father as a public relations officer in the Sabah Health and Wellbeing Ministry.

Meanwhile, Liew said she was optimistic that Sabah DAP will retain the federal seat.

Wong had retained the Sandakan seat in the last general election when he polled 19,094 votes against the then Barisan Nasional’s Liberal Democratic Party Lim Ming Hoo who obtained 8,996 votes. – April 13, 2019.