Campaigning in Kinabatangan and Lamag is expected to pick up pace after a low-key opening week.
KINABATANGAN: Candidates contesting the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and the Lamag state seat are expected to push up their campaign tempo as the by-elections reach the midway mark on Saturday (Jan 17), following a slow-paced first week.
Barisan Nasional’s candidates, Mohd Naim Kurniawan Bung for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and Mohd Ismail Ayob, or Miha, for the Lamag state seat, are seen as holding the edge to retain both seats in the Jan 24 by-elections, which are being held following the death of their incumbent Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on Dec 5.
Naim, the son of Bung Moktar, has been pushing for continuity for constituents as he fends off challenger Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman of Warisan.
Saddi, campaigning on strong local party sentiment, has vowed to take Kinabatangan out of poverty by first addressing what he described as the three most pressing issues faced by residents — water supply, electricity supply and road connectivity.
The trio is locked in a three-cornered fight with independent candidate lawyer Goldam Hamid and has so far been campaigning in different areas of the state’s largest parliamentary constituency, which comprises the three state seats of Lamag, Sukau and Kuamut.
In the first week, Naim focused his campaign on the Barisan-Umno traditional stronghold of Sukau polling districts, while Saddi concentrated his efforts in the tough and remote terrain of Kuamut, a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) stronghold in the upper reaches of the Kinabatangan River.
Saddi, a former three-term Sukau assemblyman, is expected to push his campaign back into Sukau and the more “urban” area of Lamag this week, while Naim has started to expand his campaign into Kuamut and Lamag from Thursday (Jan 15).
Local observers said Naim appeared to be in a position of strength, with Barisan’s machinery already in campaign mode across polling districts and seen as more efficient compared with Warisan’s machinery.
“Barisan’s machinery is visible on the ground in most areas, while Warisan’s presence seems to depend very much on where the candidate is at the time,” said local resident Stephen Japar.
For Lamag, Miha, who previously contested as an independent and came close to defeating Bung Moktar in the Nov 29 state election, is also seen as holding the edge, keeping to a campaign style centred on walkabouts and engaging youths through sepak takraw and volleyball activities.
His Warisan rival Mazliwati Abd Malek Chua has also been carrying out walkabouts and chatting with voters in what has been observed as a low-profile campaign so far.
Issues raised by voters include difficulties in accessing government assistance due to logistical and administrative problems, particularly in applying for e-Kasih assistance, which many said was costly due to long travel distances.
“Many of them complained it was very hard to apply, and most say that the system is one-sided because it only gives those who support a certain party.
“Some people got their names deleted from e-Kasih and need to reapply. They were very unhappy,” said Mazliwati.
Development issues such as roads, water supply and electricity were also raised by voters.
“Many of these places are so remote and so far. Some, like Kampung Sangau, still do not have a water supply. Kampung Balat is over two hours’ drive from the hospital in Bukit Garam. These are among the issues that I would fight for if I win in Lamag,” said Mohd Ismail.
As the by-elections hit the midway point, there is still a lack of election mood in Kinabatangan.
“You don’t get the feel of an election. You still see Barisan billboards with Bung from the just-concluded state election. Warisan flags seem limited, while Barisan flags are also much fewer than before,” said a local, Stephen Japar.
While the first week of campaigning saw candidates largely moving on their own and focusing on ground-level engagement, the final stretch is expected to see both sides stepping up their efforts, with larger-scale ceramah and the involvement of senior party leaders anticipated as polling day approaches.
