FORMER Dewan Rakyat Speaker and President of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, is confident that he will secure the Pintasan state seat in the upcoming 17th Sabah State Election (PRN17).
He said his optimism stemmed from strong grassroots support and his long experience in politics, which he believes will help Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) retain the constituency.
“I must make sure I win this seat. The people you see there are not voters from my area; they are from elsewhere. So why say they don’t support me?
“My comment is this: I will win. You wanna bet with me? Does anyone want to bet with me that I will win? I’m confident — I must make sure of this victory. If you’re not confident, do you want to bet?” he said, speaking to reporters after being announced as a GRS candidate at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) on Wednesday.
Recalling the 2020 state election, Pandikar said he narrowly lost the contest by a margin of only 84 votes despite garnering more than 2,600 votes.
“At that time, I was caught between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN). I received 2,660 votes and lost by just 84. Now, I’m a candidate from the ruling party,” he said.
He added that his selection as the GRS candidate for Pintasan was the result of a careful process aimed at ensuring victory for the coalition.
When asked about the possibility of internal sabotage during the campaign, Pandikar said such occurrences were common in any election.
“In every election, there will be sabotage. It depends on the candidates. Even within GRS, there is competition from other parties. But as for me, I must make sure I win,” he asserted.
In the 16th Sabah State Election, Datuk Fairuz Renddan won the Pintasan seat with 2,744 votes, defeating Pandikar and three other candidates.
Meanwhile, GRS Chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor also announced that Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) President Tan Sri Anifah Aman would contest the Kimanis state seat under the GRS banner. - November 12, 2025
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