Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s Shah Alfie Yahya has expressed confidence in winning the Tanjung Keramat seat come Nov 29, having shadowed his brother Shahelmey Yahya when he was the assemblyman.
Shah Alfie, 39, was previously Shahelmey’s special officer managing the state constituency and often looked after the development and welfare of the constituents.
Born and bred in Tanjung Keramat, he was also a councillor under the Putatan district council, which gave him the opportunity to get close with the people.
He said all these experiences have allowed him to understand governance structures, the economic needs of Putatan, and how to serve the people well.
“(Being elected Tanjung Keramat assemblyman) will not be a burden, but a responsibility entrusted by the people, and that energises me even further,” he told FMT.
Shahelmey had won the seat for Umno in the 2020 state election with a 1,124-vote majority.
He was suspended from the party in January 2023 after refusing to withdraw support for chief minister Hajiji Noor, the GRS chairman.
He opted to sit out the polls this time around since he is also the Putatan MP for Umno. Contesting in the state election under any other party would have forced him to vacate his parliamentary seat under the anti-hopping law.
In this state election, Shah Alfie and 10 others are in the race to replace Shahelmey as the next Tanjung Keramat assemblyman.
His most prominent rivals include Sabah Umno election director Jeffery Nor Mohamed and Warisan Youth deputy chief Firdaus Diun.
