KOTA KINABALU: Tenom DAP is backing native Murut leader Senator Noorita Sual as Pakatan Harapan's candidate for the interior Kemabong state seat in the coming election.
The party's division made the proposal for the former Tenom MP on Saturday (Aug 23) during the launch of Pakatan's Melalap seat election machinery in Tenom town by PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar.
Melalap and Kemabong are state seats within the Tenom parliamentary constituency, and jailed Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) president Datuk Peter Anthony won Melalap.
Noorita lost the Tenom seat in the 2022 general election to independent Riduan Rubin, whose father, Datuk Rubin Balang, won Kemabong as an independent in the September 2020 state election before joining Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
The Tenom DAP division noted that although she lost her parliamentary seat, Noorita polled the highest votes in the Kemabong state seat.
As such, the division believes she has a good chance to win Kemabong for Pakatan.
Noorita is credited with pushing for the RM201mil Kemabong–Rundum road and five bridge projects, as well as the RM189mil Ulu Tomani-Bakuku road, among other initiatives during her 2018–22 term as MP.
Earlier on Saturday, Nurul Izzah and Sabah Pakatan leaders launched the election machinery for the Sindumin state seat in Sabah's southwestern Sipitang.
Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional have announced an agreement on a seat-sharing formula for the coming state elections.
Sources indicate Barisan will contest up to 38 seats while Pakatan will contest up to 25 of the 73 state seats.
Pakatan is also in electoral pact discussions with GRS led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, whose coalition seeks up to 53 seats, and Pakatan is seeking 23 under the GRS–Pakatan pact.
The situation remains that GRS and Barisan will contest against each other, but not against Pakatan candidates.
