Sabah GE17: Parties unveil candidates as election race heats up

KOTA KINABALU: All main parties expected to dominate the 17th Sabah general election have unveiled their list of candidates.

Some tweaks are anticipated before nomination day on Saturday, but the Nov 29 polls will see the bulk of the aspirants hitting the campaign trail for the 73 constituencies at stake.

Based on the number of candidates announced so far by various political parties in the media, the total may reach 500 at all 25 nomination centres, surpassing the 447 record set five years ago.

Of the 2020 total, 56 were independent candidates.

Leading the race is Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), which announced a list of 55 candidates under its chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

Warisan followed with 73 candidates, while breakaway party Star is contesting 40 seats.

Earlier, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim unveiled the Pakatan Harapan (PH) list of 23 aspirants, followed by Barisan Nasional (BN) with 41 candidates and Perikatan Nasional (PN) with 40.

Other contenders include 17 independents known as the Black Wave, Parti Kebangsaan Sabah (PKS) with 73 candidates, Parti Impian Sabah (PIS) also with 73, and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) with 38.

There are 1,784,843 eligible voters in this election.

In the 2020 polls, 26 seats saw six-way fights, while Inanam and Bengkoka witnessed 10- and 11-cornered contests respectively.

So far, the election buildup has been far from scripted, with the narrative focusing on Sabah’s entitlement to 40 per cent of federal revenue collected from the state and a mix of local and national parties, as opposed to solo contenders.

Two parties, Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) and United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko), have left their coalitions GRS and PH, respectively, to contest independently.

Star is led by Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, Upko by Datuk Ewon Benedick, who resigned from his federal cabinet post over the 40 per cent court ruling, and Sapp by former Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee.

The candidate lists also indicate that voters in Chinese and mixed-majority areas could become kingmakers.

Only PH, Warisan and Sapp have candidates according to race categories, with six, five, and four, respectively.

GRS has one Chinese candidate in a mixed area, although four names are yet to be announced in detail.

Chinese and mixed-majority constituencies include Api-Api, Likas, Luyang, Kapayan, Tanjung Papat, Inanam, Karamunting, Elopura, and Sri Tanjong.

Warisan party worker Alphonsus Sundangit said the party is ready for the election.

“Politics will always have surprises, but we remain steady.

“Some moves might seem unexpected, but they’re often strategic.

“The leadership has a clear direction, and we trust that every decision is for the long-term good of Sabah and its people.

“The strong interest from aspiring candidates reflects the party’s continued relevance and trust among the grassroots.

“That’s normal in politics. What matters most is unity once the final lineup is set.

“As members, it is pertinent we understand that every decision is made with the bigger picture in mind,” Alphonsus added.

Local community radio operator Andrew Impungon, popularly known as DJ Othoe, said there may be further surprises in the next few days and even during the two-week campaign period.

“Anything can happen. In this ‘marathon’ of live coverages for Atukoi FM over the last month, I’ve seen quite a lot.

“The appointments are up there on my list of surprises,” he said.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

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