Gaya Island falls under the Tanjung Aru constituency, where Warisan’s Junz Wong is defending his seat in a nine-cornered contest. One of his challengers is Pakatan Harapan candidate Chan Foong Hin, the federal Member of Parliament for Kota Kinabalu.
Living conditions on the island vary, from sturdy wooden stilt houses to cramped, squalid huts. Narrow walkways link the tightly packed homes that sit above shallow coastal waters.
Beyond municipal concerns, Wong told CNA that islanders also continue to face issues of marginalisation and discrimination.
Gaya Island is a key vote base in the Tanjung Aru state constituency, and according to Malay Mail, it contains the largest polling district, with more than 4,700 registered voters across the constituency’s seven districts.
About 63 per cent of voters here are native Sabahans from Bajau Samah, Bajau Laut, Bajau Ubian and Bajau Suluk communities while another 35 per cent are classified as “others”, according to Malay Mail.
Source: CNA
