KOTA KINABALU – The unveiling of candidates’ lists for the 15th general election (GE15) in Sabah thus far has seen several big names dropped by their parties. However, speculation abounds that this will not stop many of them from running in the polls.
Those who were dropped include political turncoats who had hopped parties after the last national polls in 2018.
This time around they may run against their respective former parties and possibly pull off dramatic victories, due to their own reputations and appeal.
The seats that are likely to see such a situation include Beluran, Tenom, Papar, Kimanis, Beaufort, Pensiangan, Keningau, and Kota Marudu.
Most of these are considered favourable to non-Muslim Bumiputera candidates.
Beluran
Incumbent Beluran MP Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee had won the seat in the last election on an Umno ticket but later abandoned Barisan Nasional (BN) to join Bersatu.
Beluran is one of the constituencies that have seen thorny negotiations between the state’s ruling coalition Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and BN.
Late last night, Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin announced that the seat would go to BN and named Benedict Asmat, a newcomer from Umno, as the coalition’s candidate.
Kiandee can still contest under the Perikatan Nasional ticket in order not to violate the electoral pact between ally GRS and BN.
Ranau
Ranau will see Datuk Jonathan Yasin, formerly of PKR, making his debut as a Bersatu-GRS candidate.
The seat is also being eyed by BN-component Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), which now has former Upko big gun Datuk Ewon Ebin among its ranks.
Ewon had party-hopped several times before joining PBRS. He was with Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Upko, Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, and Parti Cinta Sabah previously.
Ewon won Ranau in the 2013 general election when he contested under the BN ticket.
Others so far confirmed to be nominated for Ranau include Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Taufik Dahlan (PKR) and Warisan’s Markos Siton.
Tenom
Former Warisan leaders are expected to meet head-on in this rural federal constituency.
Datuk Peter Anthony, who was Warisan vice-president before setting up his Social Democratic Harmony Party (KDM), will now go against Jamawi Jaafar, a former Umno man who later joined Warisan before making a U-turn and returning to Umno.
Both leaders have their respective advantages here. Peter is the current assemblyman for Melalap, a state seat within Tenom, while Jamawi is a former representative for Kemabong, also in Tenom.
Jamawi lost to Anthony for the Melalap seat in the 2020 Sabah election.
Papar
The seat will now see a newcomer from Umno contesting against Warisan’s incumbent MP Ahmad Hassan.
The Umno candidate is Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali from the GRS-BN alliance.
PH is also fielding a DAP candidate in the form of Henry Shim.
Things will not be easy for these candidates as the newly formed KDM is also likely to throw its hat in the ring.
KDM vice-president Datuk Juil Nuatim is currently tipped to contest this federal seat.
A KDM source told The Vibes that the party was still negotiating with GRS on whether it can contest the seat with the coalition’s support.
KDM has applied to join GRS but is yet to be accepted. The party maintains a friendly stance towards the ruling Sabah alliance.
Papar is not the only seat KDM plans to contest. Other than Tenom, Pensiangan, Beaufort, and Kota Marudu, the party also eyes Keningau and Ranau – subject to negotiations with GRS, the source said.
Keningau
Datuk Jake Nointin of PBRS is expected to vie against the GRS-BN pact and challenge incumbent Keningau MP Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan of Sabah Star.
If this is confirmed, the two would be squaring off against each other for the second time.
Jeffrey beat Jake in the 2018 general election by a razor-thin 45-vote majority.
Nointin contested under the Warisan ticket then. Nointin is not bound to contest for his party as PBRS is part of BN and there is currently a pact between BN and GRS.
Still, there has been talk that Nointin plans to contest either as an independent candidate or for the KDM party.
Pensiangan
The rural federal seat traditionally held by PBRS, specifically members of the Kurup family, faces challenges from within and without.
Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup, who inherited the seat from his father – PBRS president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup – in the previous polls, will now have to defend the seat this election.
It is the sole seat given to PBRS from the total of twelve assigned to BN in Sabah. The other 11 are assigned to Umno.
Sabah Star has already proposed a friendly contest about a week ago.
The seat is currently eyed by Sabah Star deputy president Datuk Ellron Alfred Angin who argued that the seat is now for the taking, given that the secretary-general of lead GRS outfit Bersatu promised the seat to the party.
KDM is also eyeing this federal seat but has not officially announced its interest.
Kota Marudu
PBS president Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, representing GRS, will now have to face former Bersatu strongman Datuk Wetrom Bahanda.
Wetrom has joined KDM and offered himself as the Kota Marudu candidate for the party.
This came about after he had approached Warisan to join the party, but later changed his mind and joined KDM instead. – The Vibes, November 4, 2022
Additional reporting by Rebecca Chong
