Keadilan candidate Christina Liew sees "encouraging prospects" for her party in the Gaya parliamentary by-election which will be held in Sabah this Saturday.

The 50-year-old lawyer said this is based on the response of the people. "They are very eager to have an opposition as they are not happy with the Barisan Nasional administration and its policies," she told malaysiakini in a telephone interview.

Liew said the issues in this by-election were "too numerous" to mention but added that mismanagement, privatisation of state land and the exorbitant car parking fees in Kota Kinabalu topped the list.

Come Oct 12, she will face Barisan Nasional's Liew Teck Chan and DAP's Hiew King Cheu. There are 49,500 voters in the constituency, two-third of which are bumiputeras.

Despite the Keadilan leader's optimism, political observers said the real contest will be between BN and its arch-rival DAP

Another opposition party, the Muslim-based PAS has decided not to contest but has promised support for its Barisan Alternatif ally, Keadilan.

Here to stay

Indicating that whatever the outcome of the coming by-election, Keadilan would carry on, Liew said: "I believe that our party is here to stay."

"We are not a seasonal party that comes and goes between elections," she added.

Liew said since the Likas state by-election last year where she contested and lost the party has continued to be politically active and extended its services to the people.

"When I stood in Likas on a Keadilan ticket, there was not a single division. Now there are 14 divisions with duly-elected officials to run them.

"In terms of services to the people, we have set up a complaints bureau so that we refer them to the government or even take them up in court," she added.

Asked to comment on what appears to be the lack of a united front among opposition parties, Liew said she never looked at it that way.

While conceding that Keadilan and DAP could not reach an agreement to field a single candidate to represent the opposition, she added that her party received support from a local opposition party, Bersekutu, on nomination day.

"And we are already in talks with two other opposition parties at the state level to forge a joint pact in the next state elections," she said. However, Liew declined to name the parties.

Still observing

Meanwhile, DAP's Kiew refused to rate his chances as the party is "still observing and assessing the situation on the ground."

'We are trying our best," he said, adding that for the moment the voters appear to be rather conservative and are not clear on certain issues.

Kiew first contested on a DAP ticket in the Api Api state constituency 12 years ago. He then crossed to other parties before returning to DAP.

Commenting on Keadilan and DAP's failure to reach a common understanding, he said this would not be a threat to his chances.

"We have our own objectives and strategies, and they have their own," he added.

Kiew said local issues were dominating the campaign.

BN yesterday announced the reduction in house assessment rate for households in Inanam and Manggatal both located in the Gaya constituency.

The DAP candidate described this as a "cheap tactic" and added that it would not influence the voters since households in other areas to do benefit from the reduction.

Voters lethargic

BN party leaders at both the state and federal levels, including Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Abdullah Badawi, have urged voters to come out in full force this Saturday.

There is concern, especially among BN leaders, that voters may have become somewhat lethargic after going through at least three elections within a short span of time in the Gaya area and that many may opt to stay home.

Although polling is only two days away, the campaign tone has been quiet with candidates and their supporters embarking on what is described as door-to-door campaign.

Seasoned observers predict that the parties will dish their best on the last day to swing support for their candidates.

BN, with its mighty machinery and resources, is expected to use this to the maximum before the no-more-campaign rule applies 24 hours before polling.

Although a BN victory is almost imminent, the wager is on the margin of votes and whether former chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan's Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) will be able to hold on to its support in Inanam one of the two state constituencies in Gaya and swing it to the BN candidate to give a bigger majority.

Some political analysts have predicted a reduced majority for BN while others claimed the ruling coalition would garner a majority of at least 7,000 votes.