TENOM: Political heavyweights are making the final push to shore up support in Sabah’s interior constituencies with two days left until polling day.
Chief Minister and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor is scheduled to visit Keningau and Tenom on Thursday (Nov 17).
Hajiji will campaign for GRS’ Keningau candidate Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, who is also Sabah STAR president, and Barisan Nasional’s Tenom candidate Jamawi Jaafar.
Kitingan, the incumbent Keningau MP, is in a four-way tussle against Pakatan Harapan’s Grelydia Gillod, Warisan’s Rasinin Koutis and Datuk Jake Nointin of Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM).
In the agricultural constituency of Tenom, Jamawi is looking to unseat the one-term incumbent Noorita Sual of Pakatan but is facing a stiff challenge from independent candidate Riduan Rubin, Warisan’s Ukim Buandi and political novice Peggy Chaw who is standing as an independent candidate.
Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal also criss-crossed the Crocker Range on Wednesday (Nov 16), meeting the people in Tenom, Keningau and Pensiangan, all three having a majority of Kadazandusun Murut voters.
The former Sabah chief minister kicked off his tour by campaigning for Ukim in Tenom, which is seen as one of the key seats in the interior.
“This is not my first round (in the interior) and the response has been quite sincere, some of them even expressed gratitude for land (titles given to them),” he said, referring to the titles given by the previous Warisan-led state government.
“And we assured them we will do it again once we have the means and the power to help kampung folk to own the land for themselves so they can earn a living,” he added.
Shafie noted it was vital for Warisan to drive home the message to the people that the party cared for their well-being.
“What is important for us is that we have been consistently fighting for their rights, not only Sabah rights but the right of the people to own land as well.
“It’s not merely lip service because we did it and we will continue doing it,” he said.
The land title issue has been a touchy matter for the native communities in Sabah.
Towards this end, Shafie hoped the reception given by the people will eventually translate into votes for Warisan which is contesting all 25 Sabah seats in this election.
“I’m not saying we are over confident but I believe that Sabahans will go for a local party.
“We are not here to please (Pakatan chairman Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim to become prime minister.
“We had all the prime ministers in Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob but what happened to the country and Sabah?
“That’s why we want to go back to the people whose needs are more important than their desire to become PM,” Shafie said.
At the same time, the GRS-Barisan supporters in Tenom will wait in anticipation for Hajiji to clear the air over the issue of Kemabong assemblyman Datuk Rubin Balang whose son is Riduan.
Hajiji had previously said GRS will take disciplinary action against Rubin if he was found to have masterminded Riduan's move to contest as an independent in the Tenom seat.
He was responding to Sabah Barisan's chairman Datuk Seri Bung Mokhtar Radin's demand for disciplinary action to be taken against Rubin.
Bung, who is also Sabah Deputy Chief Minister, had said Rubin should be sacked from any state-appointed government post.
Rubin then hit back at Bung, saying he had nothing to do with Riduan contesting as an independent and later joining KDM which is led by Datuk Peter Anthony.
Meanwhile, Anwar will also make his final push in Sabah during the last legs of campaigning as he is scheduled to campaign for Pakatan’s candidate for the east coast Kalabakan seat, Noraini Abd Ghapur on Thursday.
He has a full day programme starting from 9.30am at Kampung Mangga and ending with a meet-the-people session at Log Pond at 8pm.
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