Not giving up: (Front row) Asmat (left), Rowiena (second from left), Kiandee (second from right) and Felix Joseph (right) have been named as candidates. — Bernama
KOTA KINABALU: Perikatan Nasional’s lone candidate Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee justified his wild card entry to supporters saying Barisan Nasional had hijacked the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) platform.
The six-term Beluran MP told supporters outside the nomination centre in this north-eastern Sabah district that they were the true reflection of GRS.
Pointing to Barisan supporters, a visibly worked up Kiandee said: “It is we who promoted GRS, now they have taken it.
“We are all GRS, people have taken our GRS. We will use Perikatan now,” Kiandee said.
Kiandee, the vice-president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) was not allowed to defend his seat under GRS as it was allocated to Barisan under the GRS-Barisan coalition seat sharing pact in Sabah.
With no signs of either party giving up the seat, Perikatan chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin allowed Kiandee to campaign on the Perikatan ticket at the 11th hour, much to the chagrin of GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Kiandee, 61, the federal Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, is being challenged by Barisan’s Umno candidate Benedict Asmat, 54, a former Sandakan Municipal Council president, in a five-cornered fight.
Pakatan’s Upko has fielded Felix Joseph Saang, 48, with Warisan fielding Rowiena Rasid, 34, and Pejuang has placed Hausing Samsudin, 48.
Kiandee had previously won the Beluran seat on a Barisan-Umno ticket but in 2019 left to join Bersatu.
Kiandee had said Perikatan was the best platform for him as the party can represent the people of Beluran at national and state levels.
Barisan’s Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) also broke ranks when the party allowed former federal minister Datuk Seri Ewon Ebin to file his nomination papers for the Ranau seat which was allocated to GRS-Bersatu Datuk Jonathan Yasin.
Jonathan had previously won on a PKR ticket but left the party with Datuk Seri Azmin Ali’s group during the 2020 Sheraton Move that saw the fall of Pakatan Harapan government.
