Nothing to be ashamed of in our defeat in Tanjong Datu, says PBDSB president

By Simon Peter

LUNDU, Feb 19, 2017  - Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDSB) said there is nothing to be ashamed of in the defeat to the Barisan in the Tanjong Datu by-election tonight.

 (From left) Rapelson Richard Hamid, Azizzul Annuar Adenan, who represented her mother Puan Seri Jamilah Anu, and JohnnyAput, on nomination day February 4, 2017.

"We may have lost in Tanjong Datu due to lack of support, but it does not mean that we are giving up in our fight for the Dayak communities," PBDSB president Cobbold John explained to reporters here after the result of the by-election was announced at the Dewan Masyarakat Lundu.

He said while PBDSB does not have much support in Tanjong Datu, it has support in other areas where the majority of the voters are Dayaks.

He said the party will concentre more in areas where it has good support of the Dayaks.

He said he has expected PBDSB to lose in the by-election because the constituency has over 50 per cent Malay/Melanau voters who are strong supporters of the state Barisan Nasional.

"We have hoped to get substantial percentage of votes from the Dayaks, but, they, too, are mostly backing the state Barisan Nasional," he said, adding that the party will have to work harder to explain to the Dayaks  of Tanjong Datu of  its struggle for the community.

Cobbold  attributed the defeat of the two opposition parties to the massive Barisan Nasional election machinery and the visits by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and other federal and state  leaders to help in the campaign for Puan Sri Jamilah Anu.

"As in any election, they made many promises of more projects to come to entice the people to support the Barisan," he said, adding PBDSB will monitor whether these promises will be fulfilled before the next state elections.

Meanwhile, STAR president Lina Soo said the party respects the right of the people to choose their elected representative.

"Even if we failed to win the seat, the people are the winners," she said, referring to about RM1.6 billion worth of projects announced by the federal and state ministers during the campaign.

She said the local economy also boomed, with  seafood restaurants, resort hotels, kopitiams  and other eating outlets enjoying brisk business. 

She said Lundu/Sematan can expect more tourist to come for its seafood and beaches, now made known during the two-week campaign period.

She said STAR will continue to serve in Tanjong Datu by telling the Barisan Nasional whether it will carry out its pledges.

"Therefore, STAR is here to stay as failure is the mother of success," she added. 

In the by-election,  Jamilah  won by a majority of 6,443 votes when she secured 6,573 votes, Rapelson Richard Hamit of PBDS Baru garnered 130 votes while STAR's Johnny Dom Aput obtained 108 votes.

The two opposition candidates both lost their election deposits for failing to secure more than one-eighth of the total votes cast.