PETALING JAYA: Former Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia sees no need to field an “outsider” in Sabah’s Kota Belud parliamentary seat for the 15th general election (GE15), saying there are plenty of local candidates available.
Previously, Tuaran Umno Chief Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan hinted that he was eyeing Kota Belud, which he held for two terms before moving to Sepanggar in the last general election (GE14), where he lost to Warisan’s Datuk Azis Jamman by 12,984 votes.
“There’s no need for candidates from outside of Kota Belud to nominate themselves because we have our own leaders from various walks of life and age groups.
“We are not so desperate for leaders that we need to bring in candidates from outside the district for GE15,” the Usno President said in an online news programme.
He also said there are many promising candidates among the youth for the Kota Belud seat. The incumbent for Kota Belud is Warisan MP Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis, who beat former federal minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak by 4,262 votes in the 2018 general election.
However, Pandikar said his party will leave the decision to Gabungan Rakyat Sarawak (GRS) Chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Previously, analyst Oh Ei Sun said “local boy” Salleh had better prospects of securing the Kota Belud seat for Barisan Nasional (BN) than Rahman, who is an Umno Supreme Council member.
Oh said while both potential BN candidates might be equally capable of this, Salleh would be better accepted by the electorate due to his pedigree.
Salleh, a Bajau, comes from a prominent local political family. Among his ancestors were Orang Kaya-Kaya, and his father was the late Said Keruak, a former State Governor and Chief Minister.
He was Sabah Chief Minister from late 1994 to mid-1996, and is currently the assemblyman for Usukun.
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