Born and raised here, Tsen was described by PBS president Maximus Ongkili as a “dedicated and hardworking senior grassroots leader” and is the PBS Elopura division chief, which is one of the state seats under the Sandakan parliamentary area.
“She is not foreign to Sandakan and is a two-term MP. She has a proven track record and is the best choice to be the voice of the Sandakan people in Parliament.
“We need a person who is not only experienced but has served her previous constituents well. She is very likeable and close to the grassroots,” he said at a press conference announcing Tsen’s candidacy here.
Stressing that there are a lot of things “not right in Sabah and the country”, Ongkili, who is also Kota Marudu MP, said there have been a lot of disappointments and unhappiness among the people with the federal and state governments for their failure to fulfil election promises since they took the helm on May 9 last year.
“We can turn away and leave the current governments to continue making mistakes, but we cannot allow the people to continue suffering. We need to make a stand on these issues for the good of the people.
“A lot of things are not right; the list is long. This is our (PBS) call of duty — to offer an option for the Sandakan voters to defend their rights and make their voices heard. Our mission is straightforward.”
Ongkili added that the party will only pursue pertinent issues, namely the Malaysia Agreement 1963, security and development matters that affect the livelihood of the people here.
“People continue to express their concerns on security and development in Sandakan, how their livelihood is affected due to poor economic growth, escalating prices of goods and services, and depressed commodity prices.
“The government cannot just simply announce allocations here and there with the hope to win the people’s hearts. Anyway, these projects were approved by the then Barisan Nasional government.
“These are the kind of issues that PBS has championed and our candidate is dedicated to the task,” he said.
“We call on the Sandakan voters to give our candidate their support. Sandakan people have a political tradition of being independent of mind and anti-establishment, and we salute you for that.
“In the past, they’ve always wanted a leader of proven quality to be their voice in Parliament. Such a task is not for a rookie politician to perform.
“We need a proven and seasoned MP to do the job. And Datuk Linda Tsen is in the best position to be the flag-bearer and the voice of Sandakan.
“We call on the voters of Sandakan and supporters of like-minded opposition parties to give us their support, trust and confidence.
“To our political friends — STAR, SAPP, Usno, Umno, MCA and NGOs — work together with us in PBS and have a united voice to pursue this common goal together.
“Allow us to be the check and balance of the current government and to be the voice of the Sandakan people,” said Ongkili.