SAPP picks Yong for Batu Sapi

By Queville To - Free Malaysia Today

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) will field its president Yong Teck Lee in the Batu Sapi by-election scheduled for Nov 4.

Yong was picked as the candidate by the party which cited his vast experience in politics and his popularity.

Meanwhile, it was also reliably learnt that PKRis most likely to field seasoned politician-cum- lawyer, Ansari Abdullah, who is also its Tuaran chief and a central leadership council member.

Ansari is among three shortlisted candidates announced by the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim, during a news conference recently. The other two potential candidates are Sabah PKR chief, Ahmad Thamrin Jaini, and its Batu Sapi chief, Hassnar Ibrahim.

According to a senior PKR Batu Sapi leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the choice was based strictly on merit, and Ansari's name came out on top as he is the most qualified and suitable
candidate among the three based on his professional background as a senior, well-known lawyer in the state.

“We in Batu Sapi PKR are convinced that with his legal background, Ansari is the most qualified and suitable candidate for the job, with the possibility of representing the people of Batu Sapi
in Parliament if he wins the by-election.

“Gone are the eras of fielding any Tom, Dick and Harry in an election. We need someone who is brainy and really capable of representing the people in Parliament and not someone who is only good at pleasing his political masters, or making some derogatory remarks or clowning around. We need to choose the right candidate for the right job,” he said.

He also claimed that the decision to field Ansari was unanimous, with the backing of Hassnar.

Anwar is expected to announce the PKR candidate in Sandakan tomorrow morning.

As for the Barisan Nasional (BN), it was reliably learnt that it will most likely field the wife of the late incumbent Edmund Chong, Linda Tsen Thau Lin, 54.

The Batu Sapi parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of Chong in a road accident here on Oct 9.