Miri MP Michael Teo and his campaign team yesterday paid silent tribute at the grave of Bill Kayong, who had staunchly advocated Dayak and NCR land rights before his murder.

According to his election director Voon Shiak Ni, Teo and the campaign team attributed their May 9 victory to the fallen activist.

“The murder of the PKR activist had nurtured anger among Miri’s Dayak voters. This is one reason we won the seat.

“At his tomb, we whispered a prayer and laid flowers, crediting and thanking him for our victory,” she told Malaysiakini today.

Voon said that besides the support of Chinese voters, the parliamentary seat was won with a 40 percent increase in Dayak voters from the last polls.

“This is where we see the hidden celestial hand of Kayong in our victory," she said.

Kayong, who was Miri PKR secretary, was shot dead on June 21, 2016 at a traffic light junction in Kuala Baram.

Voon credited voters in Miri who were determined to get rid of the BN government. 

She said the constituency's Chinese voters had long advised them to work harder in the native enclaves, because only a “Sarawakian tsunami” could bring down the six-decade-old BN regime.

“Teo and Sarawak PKR had quietly worked on our Dayak vote bank. PKR lawyers had also taken up legal cases on NCR issues and had represented the natives in court.   

“On May 9, we proved that Sarawakians are not a fixed deposit of BN,” she added. 

Teo won Miri by a majority of 13,663 votes. He contested in a straight fight against SUPP’s Sebastian Ting.