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UMNO Sabah will determine the candidates for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and the Lamag state assembly seat in the forthcoming by-elections, party leaders have confirmed, following the death of Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on 5 December.
Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, a member of UMNO’s Supreme Council, emphasised that while multiple names have been suggested, the primary objective is to ensure that UMNO and Barisan Nasional retain both constituencies.
“What is important for me is that BN must win both seats. Therefore, we need to put forward the best candidate, someone well-known to voters in the expansive Kinabatangan parliamentary area,” he said, noting that Kinabatangan is a particularly challenging constituency due to its size, which he described as nearly equivalent to the state of Pahang and comprising three state assembly seats: Kuamut, Sukau, and Lamag.
Ahmad made his comments during the presentation of the Pontian Parliamentary Excellent Youth Awards at the Pontian Municipal Council Square on Saturday.
He also proposed that the Excellent Youth Awards be organised across every parliamentary constituency in the country to nurture young leaders and foster entrepreneurship.
He cited the Pontian edition, now in its fifth year, as a successful model recognising youth achievements in associations, sports, education, and technology.
The move comes after the Election Commission announced a special meeting to address the sudden vacancies in Kinabatangan and Lamag.
Bung Moktar, who passed away at the age of 66, had defended the Lamag state seat in the 17th Sabah State Election by a slim majority of 153 votes and had held the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat for six terms.
GRS Has Yet To Decide
Meanwhile, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) has yet to decide whether to field a candidate for Lamag, according to its Deputy Secretary-General, Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
He explained that the matter has not yet been discussed at the coalition level and will be referred to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor for a decision.
“Up to now, at the GRS level it has not been discussed and I do not yet have any information regarding the matter,” he told reporters during the Madani Back-to-School Rahmah Sale and Consumer Advocacy programme in Tawau.
Armizan also expressed gratitude to the federal MADANI government, led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, for supporting Sabah in legal proceedings related to sovereignty disputes.
The Paris Court of Appeal recently annulled a US$14.9 billion final award previously issued by arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa in February 2022 and ordered the Sulu claimants to pay costs of EUR200,000, equivalent to approximately RM957,140, to Malaysia.
The by-elections in Kinabatangan and Lamag are expected to test the ability of UMNO and its coalition partners to maintain voter confidence in Sabah while navigating both local and national political dynamics. - December 13, 2025