“It’s important for people to know their plans for the area,” he told reporters after attending a dialogue in Sandakan, where a by-election will be held on May 11.

“All the candidates should be given ample space in the media. I have no problem with this, as I have stated repeatedly before,” Gobind said.

DAP’s Vivian Wong, who is attempting to retain the seat once held by her late father, is challenged by PBS’ Linda Tsen, as well as independents Hamzah Abdullah, Chia Siew Yung and Sulaiman Abdul Samat.

Gobind said during the Cameron Highlands by-election campaign in January, all candidates were given coverage.

“That was the first time we allowed all the candidates to use RTM and Astro Awani to share their opinions or messages to the people.”

Meanwhile, Gobind said while Sandakan is well connected, there are still pockets of areas with poor or no connectivity at all.

He said the connectivity problems would be addressed through the government’s National Fiberisation and Connectivity Plan (NFCP).