SANDAKAN : – The crowded field of local parties and candidates in the upcoming 17th Sabah State Election (PRN17) highlights a clear public demand for home-grown leadership.
However, this critical moment is threatened by political fragmentation, which dilutes Sabah’s collective voice.
This was the message from Henley Liew Yun Ye, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) candidate for the Tanjong Papat constituency, following the nomination process on Saturday.
“The profound desire for local leaders is evident, but our struggle is marred by a lack of unity among local political forces,” Liew stated at the Tanjong Papat and Elopura Nomination Centre.
“Differing ideologies and factions weaken us. To successfully advance Sabah’s agenda, we must urgently unite in our struggle for the state’s rights and development.”
Liew emphasized that achieving this progress depends on electing highly capable leaders.
“The people must exercise wisdom in choosing representatives with the highest calibre. Effective state administration requires robust management and leadership skills,” he said.
“I firmly believe my own skills, qualifications, and experience are ideally suited to serve the constituency of Sandakan.”
A central issue he identified is the systemic failure in managing federal development funds. Sabah receives substantial annual allocations, yet Liew points to a critical inefficiency.
Alarmingly, we consistently see half, or even more, of these funds returned unused because projects were not implemented in time, Liew continued.
“This necessitates a change in fiscal policy. We must secure greater control over our own money and insist that unused federal funds be retained in a state trust fund. This ensures they are fully utilized for Sabah’s development, rather than being returned to the Federal Treasury.”
The contest for the Tanjong Papat seat is an eight-cornered fight.
Liew will face Tang Szu Ching (PH-DAP), Mohd Yunus Apil (Parti Perjuangan Rakyat), Thein Ching Qiang (Warisan).
Datuk Poon Ming Fung @ Frankie (KDM), Suhaimi Ramli (Parti Kebangsaan Sabah), Elvis Koa Wei Yang (PN), and Junaidi Berahim (Parti Impian Sabah).
