Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal shakes hands with Warisan candidate for the Kimanis by-election Datuk Karim Bujang in Kimanis January 2, 2020. — Bernama pic
BEAUFORT, Jan 2 — Former Umno veteran Datuk Karim Bujang said today he is confident about taking on his junior and successor Datuk Mohamad Alamin in the January 18 polls for the Kimanis parliamentary seat.
Although it remains to be seen whether there will be more than two candidates vying for the post, the 66-year-old five-term assemblyman said he believes that sentiment on the ground is in his favour compared to the one-term Mohamad Alamin, who is 18 years younger.
“Alamin was my junior. He took over from me in Umno in Bongawan state constituency. I think looking at sentiments and local feelings, I am confident we can deliver,” the former state assistant minister told a press conference.
Karim said that he had not lost an election until the last one, where his loss by a narrow 156-vote majority was later declared null and void.
“And you have to look at me now, I’m no longer Opposition; I’m in the government now,” he said, alluding that he was in a stronger position now compared to before.
Karim, who was also former Sabah Barisan Nasional secretary, was Bongawan assemblyman since 1990 on an Usno ticket before he joined Umno. He served as assemblyman for five terms before being dropped in favour of Alamin in the 2013 state elections.
He kept a low profile but emerged again in the 2018 general election for the Kimanis parliamentary seat under Parti Warisan Sabah. The result saw a narrow win for Umno’s Datuk Anifah Aman which was later declared null and void in Election Court.
Karim said the biggest challenge now is to ensure the party and its allies are not complacent in campaigning for the seat.
“People may be taking things easy. They think winning is not a problem. But it’s the votes that count and we cannot rest on our laurels until the votes are counted,” he said.
Meanwhile, Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal also said he is confident in Karim’s leadership.
He also expressed his belief that the Kimanis by-election would break the Barisan Nasional’s winning streak, particularly the recent landslide victory in the Tanjung Piai by-election.
“Sabah is not like Tanjung Piai. It’s different here, it’s not Tanjung Piai. We don’t have roads. We have lots of muds and suspension bridges. Our reality is different. We have problems with basic infrastructure, hospitals and schools, there is a lot that’s different here,” he said.
“I’m quite sure results will be different.”