Zahid: BN not contesting Batu Sapi by-election

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional will not contest the Batu Sapi parliamentary by-election in Sabah, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic).

The Barisan chairman said the coalition made the decision due to the spread of Covid-19 during the recent Sabah state election.

“We will leave it to the wisdom of the Election Commission (EC) to decide on the length of campaigning and suitability of the polling date. “In our opinion, the safety and health of the people must take priority, ” he said in a statement yesterday.

The Batu Sapi seat fell vacant following the death of incumbent Datuk Liew Vui Keong, the Parti Warisan Sabah permanent chairman who won the seat with a 4,619-vote majority in GE14.

The Dewan Rakyat’s notification of vacancy dated Oct 6 was sent to the EC in line with Article 54 of the Federal Constitution.

The EC is required to fill the vacancy within 60 days from the date of the notification.

Liew, 60, died at the Gleneagles Hospital in Kota Kinabalu on Oct 2 due to what was believed to be a lung infection.

The former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department was admitted to the Jesselton Medical Centre for a slipped disc prior to the Sept 12 nomination day for the Sabah election and was transferred to the Gleneagles Hospital for further medical attention.