KOTA KINABALU: Sabahans voting in the Pulai parliamentary and Simpang Jeram state by-elections should support the candidates from the unity government, says Datuk Peter Anthony.
The Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) president urged them to reject the sentiments of race and religion being played up by the opposition Perikatan Nasional during the run up to the by-elections on Saturday (Sept 9).
"There are many Sabahans who have settled in Johor, including Pulai.
"I believe that they are wise to choose and certainly want a leader who is not from the party that often plays up 3R issues (religion, race and the royal institution)," he said in a statement on Friday (Sept 8).
Anthony said the statements and actions by political leaders who harped on such issues were completely unacceptable to Sabahans.
He was also confident that Sabahans voting in the two seats would not be influenced by such sentiments.
A victory for unity government candidates was important for continuity of development in the respective areas initiated by the late incumbent Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, he added.
Anthony also said it was important to improve the welfare and socio-economic conditions of the people in the two areas and this could best be done if their elected representatives were part of the government.
"We know that the late Salahuddin was known for his famous Rahmah Initiative and was liked by many people all over the country as well as in both seats.
"Support the government candidate for the sake of political stability and economic recovery of the country," he added.
Anthony said during the Aug 12 six state elections in the peninsula, he had met with many Sabahans who settled in Selangor and all of them were committed to the spirit of multiracial and multireligious unity as practised in Sabah.
"They want a harmonious atmosphere just like in their home state, an atmosphere that does not have problems related to race and religion," he said, adding that Selangor and Johor had a large Sabahan diaspora.
