KOTA KINABALU – Barisan Nasional (BN) strongman Jamawi Jaafar views his face-off with Datuk Peter Anthony, president of fledgling Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), for the Tenom federal seat as a chance to redeem himself.
Jamawi lost to Anthony in the Melalap state seat race during the last Sabah election in 2020. Anthony was with Warisan at the time.
Melalap is one of only two state constituencies located within the boundaries of Tenom. The other is Kemabong.
Jamawi, who has over the years contested both these state seats, said that he had hoped to run in Kemabong prior to the 2020 state election.
“But I was chosen to contest in Melalap where I did not have much involvement with the constituents at that time.
“This time, it will be an advantage for me as I have contested in both state seats – Kemabong and Melalap.
“I am sure they will vote for me,” Jamawi said in an interview with The Vibes.
He stressed that he has continued to serve Tenom constituents without fail even though he was not elected two years ago.
Meanwhile, Anthony, who is a successful businessman, had confirmed in late October that he would be contesting Tenom.
The former Warisan vice-president is confident with the influence he enjoys in Tenom due to his philanthropy.
As has been observed at all Sabah constituencies, Tenom has seen a huge spike in the number of voters from 29,182 in 2018 to 42,045 voters in 2022.
Repeat battle in Kinabatangan
Meanwhile in Kinabatangan, Umno’s Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin will defend the seat for Barisan Nasional (BN) amid a challenge by Warisan’s Mohd Ismail Ayob.
This will be Ismail Ayob’s second attempt to battle Bung Moktar after he was defeated by the latter in the race for the Lamag state seat in 2020. Lamag is located within the Kinabatangan federal constituency.
Ismail Ayob is Warisan youth chief while Bung Moktar is the Sabah Umno chief cum Sabah BN chief. Bung Moktar is also a state deputy chief minister.
Bung Moktar won the Lamag seat with 3,035 votes, while Ismail Ayob managed to garner 2,374 votes.
There are now 44,773 voters registered in Kinabatangan compared to 28,730 in 2018. – The Vibes, November 4, 2022
Additional reporting by Rebecca Chong
