KOTA KINABALU: The newly elected Lamag assemblyman, Mohd Ismail Ayob, took the oath as a member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (Feb 10) before Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim M Yahya.
Better known as Miha, Mohd Ismail, 44, won the Lamag state by-election on Jan 24 under the Barisan Nasional banner, securing a majority of 5,681 votes.
He garnered 7,269 votes to defeat Warisan candidate Mazliwati Abdul Malek, who received 1,588 votes.
"Alhamdulillah, today I took the oath as the Lamag assemblyman. The moment is filled with joy and also carries sentimental value for the Lamag seat," he said.
He added that his 'Lamag Wajah Baharu' approach does not reflect a personality change, but rather improvements in administration and in fulfilling his role as a people's representative.
Mohd Ismail said he would adopt an active approach in the upcoming State Legislative Assembly sittings and plans to deliver his maiden speech, focusing on the manifesto presented during the Lamag by-election.
He said his priority is to ensure that issues affecting the people are not confined to discussions on social media, but are raised formally and effectively in the assembly.
Mohd Ismail described the responsibility he now carries as significant, noting that the Lamag seat was previously held by the late Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, who was known for being a vocal representative in the assembly.
Mohd Ismail had previously contested the Lamag seat as an Independent and emerged as the strongest challenger in the last Sabah state election.
In that contest, he polled 3,755 votes, finishing just 153 votes behind the then incumbent, Bung Moktar, who obtained 3,908 votes.
The Lamag state by-election was held simultaneously with the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election, which was also won by Barisan through Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar, following the death of Bung Moktar on Dec 5 last year. — Bernama
