INTERVIEW | SANDAKAN POLLS | At 30 years old, Vivian Wong has been picked by DAP to go up against Parti Bersatu Sabah's (PBS) more experienced Linda Tsen, once a two-term MP for Batu Sapi, in the coming Sandakan polls.

PBS president Maximus Ongkili had touted Tsen's experience as one of the reasons the party selected her to run for the parliamentary seat. Without naming anyone, Ongkili also said a parliamentarian's job is not suitable for a "rookie."

But Wong, who served as a special officer to her late father Stephen, remains unfazed by her opponent's experience.

"I think what the nation is looking for now is not really an experienced leader, but a leader who can bring new hope and new ideas to the state and to the country.

"I respect her (Tsen) as a former lawmaker, but I do not see her as a threat, because I have a different vision and different goals," Wong told Malaysiakini in an interview at the Sandakan DAP headquarters, right after PBS announced Tsen's candidacy.

Wong sees her youth as her advantage, as society is evolving and politicians need to "catch up with the youth."

"Our ideas and plans will definitely benefit Sandakan, to change this 'ageing city,' to bring back hope to Sandakan," she said.

'Not as inexperienced as some think'

Besides, Wong added, she is not as inexperienced as some may assume, as she had been unofficially involved in assisting her father in Sandakan since he became its MP in 2013.

The former educator, who joined DAP in 2012 with her father, recounted how she even dressed up as the DAP Ubah bird mascot to for her father's campaign at the time.

Aside from that, Wong said she also has a lot of experience serving the people, as she does a lot of social work, including building houses for the underprivileged.

Her father saw this passion for service, she said, and had groomed her to contest a parliamentary seat eventually before his death from a heart attack on March 28.

"Him leaving us was very sudden. I was preparing for this pathway, it (his death) was just sooner than we thought," she said.

Rejuvenating Sandakan

However, the sudden change of circumstances does not mean Wong lacks direction.

She has plans on how to rejuvenate Sandakan, once a booming town nicknamed 'Little Hong Kong'.

While acknowledging that the economy in Sandakan is in a slump, Wong believes that promoting tourism in this region will boost the economy again.

In turn, she believes, this will encourage more local youths to return to Sandakan to work, as a healthy economy will naturally lead to the creation of more jobs.

"Sandakan is a very special place. We have flora and fauna, and we also have heritage. We can make Sandakan a weekend getaway place, this is one of the things we can do.

"Once the economy has gone up, our youths can come back and work in Sandakan because there will be more job opportunities. It is a cycle."

The Sandakan by-election was triggered when her father Stephen passed away on March 28. Polling day is on May 11.

This by-election is a five-cornered fight, with Vivian and Tsen, as well as three independent candidates, Hamzah Abdullah, Chia Siew Yong and Sulaiman Abdul Samad.

There are 39,777 voters in Sandakan, with 51 percent being Chinese, 26 percent bumiputera, 16 percent Malays and seven percent others.