KINABATANGAN: Barisan Nasional has warned its election machinery against being complacent ahead of the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections, stressing that sympathy for the late incumbent should not be taken for granted.
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan said Barisan must avoid overconfidence, noting that Parti Warisan had fielded strong candidates.
“I also hope the machinery will not be complacent because Warisan has put forward candidates who are not ordinary. We must not be overconfident. I have seen the two candidates they have fielded. Nevertheless, our candidates are no less capable than theirs,” he said at a press conference here on Friday (Jan 9).
Ahmad said he had attended a coordination meeting involving Barisan election machinery, party leaders and candidates on Thursday (Jan 8) night, and that he would serve as the Barisan war room secretariat for the by-elections.
He said the meeting focused on resolving last-minute operational and logistical matters, including polling district arrangements and nomination logistics in areas such as Kuamut and Sukau.
Ahmad also thanked Gabungan Rakyat Sabah for its commitment to assist Barisan’s campaign and expressed appreciation to other parties for not fielding candidates that could split the vote.
On campaign logistics, he said no Umno machinery from outside Sabah would be deployed. Instead, 24 Umno divisions across the state have been assigned as “adopted families” to support the 27 polling districts in Kinabatangan.
He highlighted the vast size of the Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency, describing it as comparable to Johor in land area, which poses significant challenges in terms of travel and communication.
Nevertheless, Ahmad said he was satisfied with the level of preparedness of Barisan’s machinery and expressed confidence in the coalition’s candidates — Naim Kurniawan Moktar for Kinabatangan and Mohd Ismail Ayob, popularly known as Miha, for Lamag.
The by-elections for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and the Lamag state seat are scheduled for Jan 24, with Nomination Day set for Saturday (Jan 10).
