KOTA KINABALU: A senior Sabah Umno leader and state cabinet minister has fended off talk of a tussle among BN component parties for the Batu Sapi parliamentary seat following the death of MP Edmund Chong Ket Wah in an accident on Saturday.
"Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) deserves to defend the parliamentary seat in the imminent by-election for BN," said Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Masidi Manjun.
He said BN was ready for any by-elections and suggested that the seat be given to PBS.
"It may not be a good time to talk about the by election when people are grieving," said Masidi when asked to comment on the parliamentary by-election for the seat following Chong's death.
"To me they (PBS) deserves it, it's their seat," Masidi said Sunday.
Chong, who was the PBS treasurer-general cum Sabah Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) chairman, won the Batu Sapi seat uncontested in 2004.
In the 2008 general election, he retained his seat by defeating independent Chong Kwong Wong with an overwhelming 3,708-vote majority by polling 9,479 votes.
Chong died of head injuries after a motorcycle he was riding collided with a car on the Sembulan highway on his return from the airport where he had gone to purchase an air ticket to attend today's parliament sitting.
Expressing his condolences to Chong's wife Linda Tsen and family, Masidi said that although he was not a close friend, he was saddened by the news of his death.
"Edmund has many good friends not only in his own party but outside BN."
Masidi, who is Sabah Umno assistant secretary, also commended Chong's leadership as a member of parliament.
High standard
Meanwhile, Rural and Regional Development Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal said that the constituency has been represented by BN all this while and the coalition needs to ensure that it regains the seat.
"We have to work to make sure that we can secure the seat," he said when met after paying his last respects to Chong at the Fook Lu Siew funeral parlor along Jalan Tuaran yesterday.
The Umno vice president described Chong as a dedicated worker who had set a high standard in terms of serving the people.
"He has done a good job… I won't say it is impossible to follow but it will be quite difficult because he has set a very high standard in terms of performance.
"This is his second term as MP and he is a dedicated leader. We usually have drinks at the canteen and discuss what needs to be done in his constituency.
"When I met him recently, he told me that he was going to visit his children in Australia. Prior to that we went to Tanzania for a Commonwealth Parliamentary meeting," said Mohd Shafie.
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