The state has recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country of late, with Sunday’s tally alone hitting 702 new cases.

“It is due to the severity of the Covid-19 situation that PBS has decided to back out from contesting in our stronghold seat.

“As a multiracial party, PBS continues to enjoy a strong following and huge membership in Batu Sapi,” PBS president Maximus Ongkili said in a statement today.

The federal Sabah and Sarawak affairs minister added that the decision was made based on the belief that public safety and health should be the foremost consideration at this time for the people of Sandakan, especially voters in Batu Sapi.

Although it is not immediately known if other partners in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) ruling coalition will be contesting, Ongkili said that he has informed prime minister and GRS chief Muhyiddin Yassin that PBS will assist any eventual Perikatan Nasional Plus candidate in the Batu Sapi by-election.

Previously, Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN) and Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) had announced they would skip the by-election for which polling has been set for Dec 5, with early voting on Dec 1 and nomination day falling on Nov 23.

The Batu Sapi parliamentary seat was declared vacant following the passing of its MP, Warisan’s Liew Vui Keong, due to a lung infection on Oct 2.