Friendly fight: Old friends (from left) Leiking, Benedick and Chua admit they’re not giants but look forward to battling it out for the Penampang seat.
KOTA KINABALU: Penampang will see three people who were once friends turn political foes temporarily as they fight for the Kadazandusun hot seat.
Warisan deputy president Datuk Darell Leiking will face Pakatan Harapan’s Datuk Ewon Benedick and Kenny Chua Teck Ho of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) in a four-way tussle to defend the seat, with the remaining candidate, Richard Jimmy, standing as an independent.
Benedick, who is the incoming Upko president, and Chua, who is Sabah STAR vice-president, were part of the then Warisan-Pakatan-Upko coalition state government.
Benedick was the rural development minister while Chua was the state assistant finance minister while Leiking was a minister in the federal Cabinet.
However, Chua, a former Inanam PKR assemblyman, was part of a group of assemblymen who attempted to topple the state government led by ex-chief minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal in July 2020 which later triggered the snap state elections two months later.
After filing their nomination papers at the Penampang Cultural Centre yesterday, the trio claimed they are underdogs.
“It’s very difficult to predict but in this case we’re [Warisan] the small party unlike my friends who are in a big coalition,” said Leiking.
“I hope the best for Penampang and I hope the people will make their choices after listening to all of us,” he said.
Chua, who was sacked from PKR for his involvement in the coup against the Warisan-Pakatan-Upko government in 2020, said he is facing two giants.
“I am not a giant,” he said, when told that Leiking had mentioned he is in a big coalition, before adding, “I am the underdog”.
“Darell is my friend and brother as well as Ewon but in politics, anything can happen. We have our own halatuju (direction).
“I have served as the Inanam assemblyman before and now I hope to serve Penampang.”
Benedick said the underdog contention by Leiking and Chua showed that all of them, including himself, had respect for each other.
“I’m also the underdog. I never expected to face my friends and it will be a friendly contest,” said the Kadamaian assemblyman.
