SANDAKAN: Nomination for the Sandakan by-election maybe some two weeks away but this has not dampened interest in the by-election.
Indications are that the field is getting crowded as more parties have indicated their keenness to enter the fray for the polls.
There is speculation that the MCA may now contest by-election.
Among the names being touted as a candidate is Batu Sapi MCA Division Chief, Datuk Chew Kok Wah.
When contacted, Chew said that it was up to the party’s central leadership to decide on whether they want to nominate a candidate for the by-election.
“I do not know (who the candidate will be) as I am still waiting the Sandakan MCA Division to hold their meeting (to decide on whether they want to nominate a candidate),” he said.
“Many have been asking me about it. I have stated that I will be candidate if the MCA wants me to,” he said.
Before this, STAR secretary-General, Guandee Kohoi had said the party was putting a candidate for the by-election.
He said the candidate will likely to be STAR’s Tanjung Papat Division Chief, Liew Wan Chee, 50.
Pas vice-president, Idris Ahmad has also said that the Islamic party would hold a meeting soon to decide whether it will put up a candidate for the polls.
PBS president Tan Sri Maximus Ongkili had also said that the Sabah-based party would hold a meeting on whether to place a candidate for the by-election.
The by-election is the eighth to be called after the 14th General Election (GE14).
The Sandakan Parliamentary seat fell vacant after the death of its DAP incumbent Stephen Wong Tien Fatt.
Wong, 64, the Sabah DAP Chief, died of a possible heart attack after hiking up a hill with a group of climbers at Tambaig Adventure Park in Kota Kinabalu on March 28.
The Election Commission has set April 27 for nomination, with voting taking place on May 11.
In GE14, Wong won with 10,098 majority when he garnered 19,094 votes to beat Barisan Nasional’s (BN), Lim Ming Hoo who received 8,996 votes.