Fresh face GRS candidate to draw on father’s political experience to win KK seat

KOTA KINABALU: Political novice Yee Tsai Yiew won’t need to look far for guidance after being named the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) candidate for the Kota Kinabalu in the 15th General Election (GE15).

Making her electoral debut in the upcoming polls, Tsai Yiew could draw from the wealth of experience of her father, Datuk Seri Dr Yee Moh, the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) deputy president.

Yee, a three-term MP, served as the Tanjung Aru MP from 1995 to 2004 before becoming the Kota Kinabalu MP in 2004.

He was also a three-term assemblyman for Api-Api, which was part of the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency.

Tsai Yiew is aware of the task ahead of her, more so being a new face in the polls, to wrest the seat which is considered an Opposition stronghold since 2013.

"I was happy, excited and a little bit nervous when my name was announced because this is a new challenge to me," she told reporters after the GRS-Barisan Nasional candidates announcement here on Wednesday (Nov 2).

"But it’s good because I will have lots of guidance," she said, adding her father would definitely be among her sources of motivation.

"I know it will be a tough fight but I believe every candidate has a fair fighting chance and that includes me. I will do my very best," said the 32-year-old lawyer.

Although this would be her first bow in the election, Tsai Yiew said she had been exposed to politics for a long time.

She is the information chief for the PBS Api-Api division as well as the chairperson of the Young Advocates Sabah of the Sabah Law Society.

Tsai Yiew would be contesting against the incumbent for Kota Kinabalu, Chan Foong Hin of DAP as well as Parti Warisan’s Amanda Yeo and Datuk Seri Winston Liaw of Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat.

Under the seat-sharing deal between GRS and Sabah Barisan, GRS would get to contest 12 out of the 25 Sabah parliamentary seats while the rest would be contested by Barisan.