Closing ranks: Naim Kurniawan (second from left) with Jafry (centre) and Miha (second from right) at the candidate announcement for the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections.
KOTA KINABALU: Two Barisan Nasional candidates for the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections are setting aside their political differences to capture both seats for the coalition.
Kinabatangan Umno Youth chief Mohd Naim Kurniawan Moktar, 31, and Mohd Ismail Ayob @ Miha, 45, pledged to work together, saying they had forgotten the heat of the recent state election.
Mohd Naim Kurniawan, son of the late Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin – who was the Kinabatangan MP – will contest the seat.
Miha, who contested and lost narrowly as an Independent against Bung Moktar for the Lamag seat in the state polls, is being fielded as the Barisan candidate for the seat.
Both candidates were named yesterday by Sabah Barisan chairman Datuk Jafry Ariffin.
“There are no hard feelings. The goal is to ensure we win to bring progress as desired by the people,” Mohd Naim Kurniawan said after being named as the Kinabatangan candidate.
Mohd Naim Kurniawan, who is the national Umno Youth treasurer, played a key role in his father’s victory in Lamag in the Nov 29 state election.
Asked if he thought he was well-liked in Kinabatangan, he said: “That is for the people of Kinabatangan to decide.”
The Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency comprises the Lamag, Sukau and Kuamut state seats.
As for Miha, the previous political fight must be put behind.
“The past is the past. As mentioned by Datuk Jafry, the political temperature needs to be lowered and I take the same approach.
“We must focus on developing Lamag. The coalition state government has been formed. Barisan is part of the state and also federal governments.
“That is important to us,” he said, adding that he had a better chance of winning the Lamag seat this time around.
Miha was picked as the Barisan direct candidate for the Lamag seat after a consensus was reached between Sabah Barisan and its coalition partner Gabungan Rakyat Sabah led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Jafry described Mohd Naim Kurniawan as a next generation leader of Kinabatangan and Miha as a “unity candidate”.
He said picking Miha was part of Barisan’s effort to lower political tensions after an intense Sabah election that ended in a hung assembly and formation of a coalition government.
“We have just come out of a very heated election that created a lot of hostility.
“We chose a middle-ground approach to ensure stability and to make sure the people continue to receive assistance.
“What’s important is that Lamag is not left behind in the development agenda,” he said.
Miha lost his bid to unseat Bung Moktar in the Nov 29 state election by 153 votes, securing 3,755 votes against the victor’s 3,908 votes.
The by-elections on Jan 24 follow the death of Bung Moktar on Dec 5.
