KOTA MARUDU, Nov 7 — Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) president, Datuk Peter Anthony, is urging all the party’s supporters to be patient and not be too emotional over the rejection of his candidacy in the 15thGeneral Election (GE15) during the nomination process on November 5.
The state assemblyman for Melalap said that there was still room under the law for a review of the Election Commission’s (EC) decision as the court case was still pending.
“Realising that my candidature was rejected, I noticed that many of my supporters were deeply disappointed while some even shed tears. However, I told them that this was just the beginning as a review of the court’s decision could still be sought,” he said in his speech at an event with the people in Kampung Minansad, here, today.
Last Saturday, Peter’s candidacy (Peter) was rejected by the EC at the last minute, resulting in a commotion involving his supporters.
Last May 26, the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court sentenced him to three years’ jail and fined him RM50,000 after he was found guilty of falsifying a letter over a maintenance work and mechanical and electrical system service contract with Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
The court had also on August 1, allowed Peter’s application to set aside the conviction and sentence to enable him to contest in GE15.
Meanwhile, in Kota Kinabalu, the KDM candidate for the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary seat, Datuk Seri Liaw Kit Siong, said the rejection against Peter as a candidate in GE15 did not break the party members and supporters’ spirit to continue campaigning for victory in the constituency.
“To me, this is not a problem and it will only raise our spirit as KDM is a new party, so we need to popularise it across the country,” he told Bernama, here, today.
Meanwhile, Liaw who is contesting for the first time in the general election, is determined to wrest the Kota Kinabalu seat which has been synonymous with DAP and if given the chance by voters to capture the seat, he wants to improve Sabah’s economic and tourism sectors.
Liaw is facing a five-cornered contest to wrest the seat from its incumbent MP, Chan Foon Hin who is representing Pakatan Harapan-DAP; Yee Tsai Yiew (Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Amanda Yeo Yan Yin (Warisan) and Independent candidate, Marcel Jude Joseph. — Bernama