KOTA KINABALU – Muda will field Ranau-based farmer Shahrizal Denci in the Kota Marudu federal seat, among the seats given to the youth-based party after negotiations with Pakatan Harapan (PH).
The party is also contesting in Kepala Batas in Penang, Tg Karang in Selangor, and Tg Piai in Johor.
Muda deputy president and elections director Amira Aisya Abd Aziz said Shahrizal, who is one of the founding members of Sabah Muda, was picked by the party’s state chapter.
“Sabah Muda was given autonomy to select its own candidates. So Shahrizal is Sabah Muda’s own pick,” Amira Aisya said when announcing Shahrizal as the candidate at the state party headquarters here today.
Shahrizal, 40, who is Muda vice-president, has an engineering degree but has opted to work in agriculture.
He said even though he was from Ranau, he had done his groundwork in Kota Marudu and the needs of voters here were directly related to his work in the sector.
“It is sad to see our farmers, where some of them have stopped planting paddy, because the price of paddy is only RM0.80/kg.
“We want to fight for the farmers and half of the population in Kota Marudu are farmers,” he told the press conference.
Shahrizal will be facing candidates more senior than him such as Kota Marudu incumbent and Parti Bersatu Sabah president Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, Social Democratic Harmony Party deputy president Datuk Wetrom Bahanda, and former Malaysian diplomat Datuk Jilid Kuminding who will be representing Warisan.
Kota Marudu is one of the eight poorest districts in Sabah.
Malaysians will head to the polls for the 15th general election on November 19, with early voting set for November 15. – The Vibes, October 31, 2022
