KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) will not contest its traditional Batu Sapi parliamentary seat in light of the worsening Covid-19 pandemic in the state.
At times like this, PBS president Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said the public safety and health of Sandakan people as well as Batu Sapi voters must be paramount and as such the party would not nominate a candidate for the Dec 5 by-election.
"Sabah continues to record the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases in the country. Our number has hit three digits in the last few days, whereby on Sunday alone, we recorded 702 new cases.
"It was due to the severity of the Covid-19 situation that PBS decided to back out from contesting in our traditional stronghold seat.
"As a multiracial party, PBS has continued to enjoy a strong following and huge membership in Batu Sapi," he said today.
He said the move in not contesting the by-election was decided at the PBS political bureau meeting recently.
PBS was the latest party to announce its withdrawal from the Batu Sapi by-election. On Oct 16, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku also announced that they would not participate in the by-election.
Other parties which had expressed their decision not to stand for the polls were Parti Cinta Sabah and Barisan Nasional.
Although it is not immediately known if other partners in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah would be contesting, Ongkili said he has informed Prime Minister and Perikatan Nasional president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that PBS was prepared to render its support.
He stressed PBS would support as well as assist any eventual Perikatan Nasional Plus candidate and ensure a win in the Batu Sapi by-election.
The Batu Sapi parliament seat had been held PBS since 2004 through the late Datuk Edmund Chong Ket Wah, who died in a road accident in 2010.
Following his death, the subsequent Batu Sapi by-election was held on Nov 4, 2010, and Chong's wife Datin Linda Tsen won and held the seat until 2018.
In the 14th general election, Parti Warisan Sabah permanent chairman Datuk Liew Vui Keong wrested the Batu Sapi seat with a 4,619 majority votes against Tsen.
Liew died on Oct 2 due to a lung infection.
Nomination day for Batu Sapi by-election is on Nov 23, while early voting will take place on Dec 1.