"Hiew is a coward. He condemns us in the papers but he doesn't come here to debate," one speaker says, referring to DAP's Kota Kinabalu incumbent Dr Hiew King Cheu, to cheers from about 200 who crowded around the neighbourhood kopitiam.
Bitter public bickering between opposition parties SAPP and DAP in Sabah has all but diminished likelihoods of straight fights in many of the urban seats in the state, but cooler heads seem to have to prevailed in Sandakan.
According to SAPP president Yong Teck Lee, his party will be sitting out the fight for the Sandakan parliamentary seat, leaving the seat open to the DAP.
In fact, Yong told ceramah-goers that the SAPP has even told its supporters to back the DAP candidate for the Sandakan seat.
This will pave the way for a mano-a-mano fight between incumbent and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president VK Liew, and likely DAP candidate Stephen Wong.
A known local figure within the Chinese education NGO sector, Wong is believed to command respect among the locals and could slay the BN candidate, who is also caretaker deputy minister in the prime minister's department.
SAPP, DAP clash in state seats
In 2008, Liew (right) won with a razor thin majority of 176 against DAP's Chong Chu Lin, who came in second with 8,121 votes ahead of independent candidate Fong Vua Fui who garnered a commendable 2,929.
"There is a strong chance of winning Sandakan, but that will also depend if an Independent candidate enters the fray," a DAP source said.
Chong Hon Min, the Independent candidate who trumped all opponents in 2004 with a majority of more than 1,000 votes, is speculated to be keen to re-contest the seat.
But the rare sight of goodwill between DAP and SAPP will not likely be seen in the state constituencies of Elopura and Tanjung Papat, both located within the Sandakan parliamentary constituency.
Both east coast state seats were won by SAPP in the 2008 election, but its representatives defected to Gerakan when SAPP left the BN fold.
Elopura incumbent Raymond Tan (below) and Tanjung Papat incumbent Au Kam Wah will be defending their seats, and this time against their former party SAPP and the DAP.
Back at the ceramah in Luyang, DAP's likely entrance in Elopura and Tanjung Papat was used to paint DAP as greedy ingrates.
"We are supporting them in Sandakan, and still they want to contest Elopura and Tanjung Papat.
"They say it is KL's instructions. They say 'ubah', but on their foreheads, it is written 'yes men'," young lawyer Ken Yong, who is likely to contest Tanjung Papat for SAPP, told Malaysiakini on the sidelines.
Candidacy list to be announced tonight
His DAP colleagues, however, are in despair.
"Opposition beat BN in straight fights, but with all this multi-cornered fights expected to happen, I think it will be a repeat of 2008," the DAP source confided.
BN won all but one state and one parliamentary seat in Sabah in the 12th general election.
While SAPP is sitting out most parliamentary fights, Yong is speculated to contest Kota Kinabalu, while other parliamentary constituencies will see Jeffrey Kitingan-led Star joining the battle against Pakatan Rakyat and BN parties.
SAPP will announce its candidacy list tonight.
Disputes are also ongoing within Pakatan, forcing a delay in candidate announcements.
Among others, overlapping claims are seen between PKR and DAP in parliamentary seats Tawau and Kapayanan.
"It's a shame if multi-cornered fights happen in parliamentary seats. It'll mean that Sabah will not be able to contribute to toppling BN at the federal level," he said.
For now, at least, there is Sandakan.
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