KOTA KINABALU, Nov 11 — Sabah Perikatan Nasional (PN) chief Datuk Ronald Kiandee will lead the coalition’s 41 candidates in the upcoming state election.
Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) will contest 33 seats, PAS five, and Parti Gerakan three.
PAS‘s first nominated assemblyman, Datuk Aliakbar Gulasan, will contest the Karambunai seat.
Kiandee, who is PPBM Sabah chief, will return to contest the Sugut seat for the first time since 1990, this time under the PN banner. He last contested Sugut in 1990 under the now-defunct Angkatan Keadilan Rakyat (Akar), a splinter party from Parti Bersatu Sabah, but lost to the latter.
He is expected to face GRS’s Datuk James Ratib, a three-term assemblyman.
Kiandee has been Beluran MP for six terms since 1999, all under Umno, until the last general election when he contested as a PPBM member under the PN banner.
Aliakbar was among the six nominated assemblymen when PN formed the state government with Barisan Nasional (BN) as Gabungan Rakyat Sabah in 2020.
After the 2022 general election (GE15), Hajiji led the PPBM assemblymen out of PN to Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, and GRS eventually became a fully local coalition.
Meanwhile, Gerakan will also return to the election after sitting out the 2020 state election, fielding three candidates: William Ooi Hong Wee (Luyang), Elvis Koa Wei Yang (Tanjung Papat), and Mohd Firdaus Sylvester (Elopura).
PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the party had a stringent screening process to select the 41 candidates.
“All the candidates we have chosen were completely clean; not a single blemish was flagged during our screening. Not from MACC, income tax, not even a traffic summon. So we have chosen them for a clean slate,” he said.
When asked about the number of seats, he said 41 was more than enough to form a simple majority government.
“We’ve gone through a whole series of looking into every constituency that we want to contest, and this is a number that we feel is reasonable, and I would say practicable. Based on the information we’ve got on the ground, these are the best seats for Besatu or for Perikatan Nasional to contest.
“We believe, of course, other parties too might eye the same seats, but it does not matter. The more the merrier. But we hope that Sabahan voters, who we believe are very qualified, will be able to assess the candidates and hopefully they will give Besatu or Perikatan Nasional the chance to win the election,” he said.
The candidate for the Sindumin seat was not named during today’s event.
The full list is below:
– Banggi: Rahimah Majid
– Bengkoka: Berusli Kimin
– Tanjung Kapor: Muhammad Affan Jumahat
-Pintasan : Awang Salleh Makmud
– Sulaman: Datin Tiaminah Siti Aminah Ele
– Pantai Dalit: Mohd Zulkernain Osman
– Karambunai: PAS Datuk Dr Aliakbar Gulasan
– Darau: Nabila Norsahar
– Luyang: William Ooi Hong Wee
– Tanjung Aru: Suhaimi Buang
– Tanjung Keramat: Farish Adamz Shah Kanny
– Moyog: Francis Mojikon
– Limbahau: Adrian Alexander
– Sindumin : yet to be announced
– Pantai Manis: Faizal Julaili
– Bongawan: Ridzuan Agus Payong
– Klias: Mohammad Hisyam Hazaril
– Kundasang: Dr Atong Antong
– Liawan: Johny@John Anthony
– Nabawan: Sayau Tangkap
– Telupid: Jaman Jamri
– Sugut: Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee
– Labuk: Asmad Nasir
– Gum-Gum: Yunus Nurdin
– Sungai Manila: Yusri Abu
– Sungai Sibuga: Noraini Asmatil
– Sekong: Mohd Fazriee Awang
– Elopura: Mohd Firdaus @Silvester Abdullah
– Tanjung Papat: Koa Wei Yang
– Lamag: Mazlin Madali
– Sukau: Pengiran Petra Pengiran Asri
– Silam: Borkes@Balkis Kalinggalan
– Kunak: Kasman Karate
– Sulabayan: Abdul Malik Abd Bool
– Bugaya: Jamil Abdul Gapar
– Balung: Dr Munzier Mahamud
– Apas: Lim Ting Khai
– Kukusan: Francis Lawrence @Yusop
– Tanjung Batu: Ahmad Dullah
– Merotai: Hasan Haris
– Sebatik: Suhurani Sammani
