KINABATANGAN: Knowing the heavy odds stacked against him, lawyer Goldam Hamid Salangah (pic) walked into the nomination centre here on Saturday a nervous man to file his papers for the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election.
The 40-year-old based in Kota Kinabalu is up against Barisan Nasional’s Mohd Naim Kurniawan Bung and Warisan’s Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman for the vacant seat seat following the death of Naim’s father Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on Dec 5.
Political observers have almost instantly wrote off Goldam’s chances as they focus on the main battle between Naim, 31, and 67-year-old Saddi, a former three-term assemblyman for Sukau.
“I admit some have been cynical. They even said I will lose my deposit. I have faced failures and losses and am used to it.
“What I fear most is missing this chance. Winning or losing is God’s will,” Goldam said in a Facebook post.
Independents hardly have a chance of winning in Sabah unless there is tacit backing from major political parties, as is the case in Sabah over the past five years where Independents emerged winners in several state and parliamentary elections.
Goldam brushed aside any notion that he was being backed by any major party or individuals from the state’s coalition government, adding that he was contesting as he believed he had a fighting chance.
“I helped the Upko candidate in Kuamut in the last state election in my personal capacity,” he added.
He said his decision to provide an alternative for voters in Kinabatangan was a calculated move based on the Nov 29 state election results of the three seats of Lamag, Sukau and Kuamut in the Kinabatangan constituency.
In an interview, he said the state election results showed that Sabahans rejected national parties, adding that he offered another option to voters instead of local-based Warisan.
“If you see the election data from all three state constituencies, there are almost 15,000 votes for GRS and Upko. I don’t think GRS and Upko voters will vote Barisan. They prefer Warisan.
“Now, with me in, they have an alternative,” Goldam said, adding that he considered many factors before plunging into the race.
As for Saddi, Goldam said the latter was only known in Sukau being the ex-assemblyman there.
“I don’t think he will get enough support from Kuamut and Lamag,” said Goldam, who is a native of Tongod that is part of the Kuamut state constituency,
Sabah UiTM lecturer Tony Paridi Bagang said it would be difficult for a newcomer to take on the entrenched political parties in Kinabatangan though Goldam provided a choice for voters disillusioned by party politics.
“Both Barisan and Warisan possess strong organisational networks, loyal voter bases and proven mobilisation capacity in Kinabatangan, making the contest highly competitive and structurally uneven for an Independent entrant,” he said.
Universiti Sabah Malaysia senior lecturer Assoc Prof Dr Lee Kuok Tiung was forthright in saying that the Kinabatangan by-election was between Barisan and Warisan.
“It is very unlikely that an Independent will cause a surprise,” he added.
