GE15: Ewon Benedick set to battle Warisan deputy president for Penampang hot seat

KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Harapan is set to field incoming Upko president Datuk Ewon Benedick for the Penampang parliamentary seat held by their former ally Warisan deputy president Datuk Darell Leiking.

Benedick, 39, confirmed his candidacy for the seat which has been the home-base of Upko since its formation under Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.

The 51-year-old Leiking and Benedick are expected to face 52-year-old Sabah STAR vice president Kenny Chua who is likely to be Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s (GRS) choice for the semi-urban seat in the coming Nov 19 general election.

"(I am) ready. I want to offer fresh leadership for Penampang," said the Kadamaian assemblyman, when contacted on Thursday (Oct 20).

Asked if he was confident of his chances against Leiking, a two-term Penampang MP, he said: "I believe we have a strong chance and strong issues to be presented to Penampang voters."

He also said that, under the Pakatan sharing, Upko has been allocated a total of five seats including Tuaran where the incumbent president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau is expected to defend the seat.

The other seats are Beluran, Kimanis and Libaran.

Benedick had been endorsed by the Upko supreme council to replace Tangau at the party’s congress which has been rescheduled to after the general polls this year.

Meanwhile, GRS had yet to announce the seat allocations among its five component parties but it is widely speculated Sabah STAR would be given the Penampang and Keningau seats.

Chua was among the top names tipped to stand for the Kadazandusun Murut (KDM)-majority Penampang seat, which was anticipated to be a hotly-contested affair.

Leiking achieved a giant-killing feat when he knocked out Dompok, who was a Federal minister and then Upko president, on an Opposition PKR ticket in the 2013 general polls.

As for Keningau, Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan is expected to defend the seat he won in the 2018 general election.