TUARAN: The increase in the number of parties contesting in the 17th Sabah State Election makes it imperative for voters to make a wiser assessment by choosing candidates that truly represent their aspirations and are free from the risk of party-hopping, said Umno information chief Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
She said the primary responsibility of every candidate is to provide the best service to the people, in line with the spirit of the Anti-Party Hopping Act that was introduced after the 15th General Election.
“This service is a priority for the people because they must know that after they vote, the very next day the elected representative must start working.
“If voters choose a representative with the potential to jump parties, or one who only appears during election season, that will be difficult for the people,” she said.
Azalina, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), told reporters this after inspecting the ‘Justice on Wheels’ legal aid clinic programme at the Tuaran Public Market compound today.
She also said any state government elected by the people in the Sabah polls must maintain strong relations and close cooperation with the federal government.
She said Malaysia was built on the concept of a federation, which requires continuous discussions between both levels of government to ensure effective policy implementation and state development.
“No state government can operate solo because even opposition-led states still attend the Menteri Besar and Chief Ministers’ meetings every month.
“So even if many political parties are campaigning on the ideology of ‘Sabah for Sabahans’, they still cannot escape Sabah’s relationship with the federal government,” she said.
