GE15: Engineer-turned-farmer aims to reap Kota Marudu seat for Muda

Shahrizal speaking during the Muda event in Kota Kinabalu.

KOTA KINABALU: A modern farmer has been named as the sole Muda candidate in Sabah for the upcoming polls.

Shahrizal Denci, 40, who is also Muda vice-president, will contest the northern Kota Marudu seat where the incumbent is Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili.

His candidacy was made by Muda deputy president and election director Amira Aisya in a press conference at the party’s Sabah office here on Monday (Oct 31).

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Shahrizal, who hails from Ranau, said he was looking forward to making his debut in the 15th General Election (GE15).

“I am contesting not just to fight those I dislike (on the frontline) but also to defend the people I love at the back such as villagers, civil servants and the oppressed in Kota Marudu,” he said.

He added that he and his team have been making inroads in the constituency and were appalled by conditions there. Kota Marudu has been identified as one of the 10 poorest districts in the country.

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“I want Malaysia to see how difficult life is in Kota Marudu.

“(For instance) a father had to carry the body of his child for one hour in order to reach a village there ... how can this be happening in 2022?

“The people need to be protected. If not us, then who?” Shahrizal added.

He has a degree in computer engineering and was working as an ICT engineer at a private company before deciding to return to his village to work on the farm owned by his parents.

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He was also among the people who founded Sabah Muda and managed to attract 5,000 youths to join the party.

Shahrizal was also actively involved in NGO work such as delivering food to poor villages in Sabah.

Besides Ongkili, if the PBS head contests there, Shahrizal will also face Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) deputy president Datuk Wetrom Bahanda - who is Bandau assemblyman - in Kota Marudu.