Sandakan will have the first by-election in East Malaysia after GE-14

Another by-election was announced and this time it will be for the Sandakan parliamentary seat.

The seat is vacant after the death of its incumbent, Wong Tien Fatt. The two-time Sandakan MP tragically passed away from heart attack on March 27.

The polling day is set to take place on May 11, witnessing a five-cornered fight.

From Pakatan Harapan’s side, Vivian Wong, the daughter of the late MP is being fielded to fight off the Opposition’s Datuk Linda Tsen Thau Lin from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS). Other candidates contesting as independents are – Hamzah Abdullah, Chia Siew Yung and Sulaiman Samat.

While the big battle is between DAP and PBS, neither of the candidates made up the influencer’s list as the by-election approaches.

Taking the number one spot is Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal, with 202 statements in the past month. It seems like Shafie is speaking for DAP’s candidate, Vivian; as his statements are tailored in her favour.

Shafie also publicly declared that Warisan-Pakatan Harapan-UPKO pact will give their support to her. Meanwhile, looking back at the influencers list, the real candidate herself appears less active, coming out with only 28 statements in the past month.

Additionally, PBS candidate Datuk Linda Tsen is absent. The same for the other three candidates of the by-election.

The Sandakan parliamentary seat had traditionally been contested by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a former Barisan Nasional party. This time, PBS will be representing the Opposition in which UMNO and PAS had declared support for.

After winning in the Cameron Highlands, Semenyih and recently Rantau, can the Opposition repeat its by-election success against the Warisan-PH-UPKO pact?