THE Sandakan by-election is a game of lies and slander for the opposition, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said.

As such, he said, Sandakan is going to be a tough battle for Sabah DAP and Pakatan Harapan.

“They are using dirty tactics because they have no issues to use against us. So they resort to slander to win.

“We have to be careful,” he said, relating how he has recently become the subject of lies in the by-election.

It was reported that the opposition had put up a billboard claiming that Lim, who is finance minister, had threatened voters over the issue of insufficient parking lots at the Sandakan Hospital.

Lim was accused of saying that he would not be able to solve the problem unless DAP wins the Sandakan seat. The accusation was also reported by Chinese daily Sin Chew.

DAP candidate Vivian Wong is contesting the Sandakan parliamentary seat to replace her late father Stephen Wong, who died late March.

“They erected a billboard accusing me of saying things I never said… and Sin Chew also published a fake news report (on the matter),” Lim told a press conference in Penang this morning.

“The newspaper realised the mistake when I questioned its integrity and professionalism. The daily apologised.

“But the false statement is still being circulated and used against us.”

Lim, who is also Pakatan Harapan deputy president, said the people should vote for the truthful party and candidate that is also not corrupt.

“We hope Sandakan voters will make that decision. We will see whether the game of lies and slander will work for the opposition in Sandakan come polling day,” he said.

Apart from Wong, others fighting for the seat are Parti Bersatu Sabah’s Linda Tsen, and independent candidates Hamzah Abdullah, Chia Siew Yung and Sulaiman Abdul Samat. – May 6, 2019.