KOTA MARUDU, Oct 5 — Bandau assemblyman Datuk Wetrom Bahanda has confirmed he will not defend his Bandau seat in the upcoming 17th Sabah State Election, opting instead to contest in his hometown of Matunggong.
The Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) deputy president said the decision to “migrate” from Bandau to Matunggong followed requests from grassroots supporters in the constituency.
Wetrom, who is also Kota Marudu MP, said that while he has continued to serve the people of Bandau diligently, his parliamentary work has also kept him closely connected to Matunggong.
“It’s not an easy task, but I believe the people of Matunggong desire change, just as the people of Kota Marudu demonstrated during the 15th General Election (GE15) in 2022,” he said after officiating the launch of the KDM election machinery for the Matunggong, Bandau, and Tandek constituencies at Dewan Serbaguna Pekan Baru Matunggong today.
Wetrom first won the Bandau seat in the 16th State Election and later made headlines in GE15 when he defeated Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili for the Kota Marudu parliamentary seat.
Meanwhile, Wetrom said KDM has confirmed plans to contest 36 state seats, with several others still under consideration.
“So far, we have confirmed 36 constituencies, while a few others are still under KIV (keep in view) status.
“Previously, I mentioned that we might contest around 20 seats, but we have received many requests from other areas. What is certain is that we will be going solo,” he said. — The Borneo Post
