Priscella Peter interacting with residents during a recent visit to the Melalap constituency.
KOTA KINABALU : – Acting Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) president Priscella Peter says she will contest the Melalap state seat in the upcoming Sabah state election.
She hopes defend the seat formerly held by her father, KDM president Datuk Peter Anthony.
In a statement, Priscella said she intends to continue her father’s legacy of developing the constituency and helping the people.
“It’s not an easy task, but my father’s spirit is always with me and the people of Melalap.
“The people here know Datuk Peter’s concern for them, and even now when I visit the constituency, they still talk about his kindness. His aura is strong, and this proves that he carried out his responsibilities well in Melalap.
“I will continue the struggle to help the people of Melalap. There is still much development that can be achieved.”
“I am contesting here not just because of my father, but for the people of Melalap who still hope for continuous progress.”
Peter won the Melalap seat under Warisan’s ticket with a slim majority of 293 votes, defeating five other candidates, in the 14th general election in 2018.
He contested again under Warisan in the 2020 state election and won with an increased majority of 1,719 votes in a six-cornered fight.
Peter left Warisan to form KDM in early 2022.
The former Melalap assemblyman was sentenced to three years’ jail and fined RM50,000 by the sessions court in Kuala Lumpur in 2022 after he was convicted of forging a letter from the office of the Universiti Malaysia Sabah deputy vice-chancellor.
The former Sabah infrastructure development minister was charged in his capacity as managing director of Syarikat Asli Jati Sdn Bhd. He was found guilty of forging a letter from the office of the UMS deputy vice-chancellor, dated June 9, 2014, by inserting a false statement to use it for fraudulent purposes.
In March, the Court of Appeal upheld Peter’s conviction and three-year jail sentence. He has paid the fine and is currently serving his sentence.
Article 17(1)(e) of the Sabah constitution states that a person sentenced to a year or more in prison or fined RM2,000 or more will lose their seat.