KOTA KINABALU: The DAP hopes to win all the Chinese majority seats in Sabah.

Inspired by its success in capturing six state seats in the 2006 Sarawak elections, the party has since been making its presence felt in the urban and suburban areas.

The Sabah BN's failure in addressing current issues such as the large presence of immigrants and urban problems, including poverty, will provide the fuel for their campaign.

On their launch pads are two parliamentary and eight state seats where the Chinese make up more than 50 per cent of the registered voters.

These are Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan parliamentary seats as well as the Likas, Api-Api, Luyang, Kapayan, Karamunting, Elopura, Tanjung Papat and Sri Tanjung state seats.
Three parliamentary and three state seats where the Chinese voters number about a third are also likely to be on DAP's hit list. They are the Penampang, Batu Sapi and Tawau parliamentary and the Tanjung Kapor, Inanam and Tanjung Aru seats.

The DAP first made its mark in the state when Fung Ket Wing captured the Sandakan parliamentary seat in the 1978 elections and held it for three consecutive terms.

He was the sole member of parliament for the party until 1986 when DAP won three other seats, Gaya, Tanjung Aru and Tawau, sending a strong message from the Chinese community of their ability to swing votes.

Kapayan chairman Steven Jimbangan said this was a good time to try and wrest the urban and suburban seats.

"What is left now is for all the opposition parties to consolidate its strength strategically," said Jimbangan who aims to contest for the new Kapayan seat won by Sabah MCA liaison chief Datuk Edward Khoo in 2004.

"In the last two years we have moved into all these areas and put out feelers to the community. We have people working for us on the quiet because some of the constituents are worried of being seen mingling with us, especially business people."

Bickering among BN component parties clamouring for the "blue-ribbon" urban seats could also work in their favour, particularly Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan.

Sabah Progressive Party has staked a claim on the Kota Kinabalu seat but Parti Bersatu Sabah remains ad-amant that the party be allowed to keep it while the Liberal Democratic Party wants to redeem itself by recapturing Sandakan, won by pro-BN independent candidate Chong Hon Ming in the last election. -- By Roy Goh