BEAUFORT: Barisan Nasional (BN) is confident of reclaiming the Kuala Penyu and Klias seats, both within the Beaufort parliamentary constituency, in the Sabah state election on Nov 29.
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said both seats had traditionally been BN strongholds before they were handed to Perikatan Nasional (PN) during the coalition’s collaboration in the 2020 Sabah polls.
“We gave the Kuala Penyu and Klias seats to PN. When they contested in the 2020 state election, we supported them. After that, we did not see the effectiveness of our partnership with PN, and eventually they left BN.
“So, for this state election, we have decided to field a local candidate from Kuala Penyu because we believe we have a strong choice. Datuk Awang Aslee Lakat, BN’s candidate for Kuala Penyu, grew up here, went to school here, and built his family here,” he told reporters after attending a programme with BN’s election machinery at the Karukan district polling centre this evening.
Johari expressed hope that voters in Kuala Penyu would back Awang Aslee, giving him the opportunity to represent them and help drive development in the constituency.
“When he becomes an elected representative, he will be able to voice the many issues faced by the people of Kuala Penyu. This is what I want voters to consider — in five days, we will head to the polls. We urge them to choose a representative who can safeguard their interests for the next five years,” he said.
He said that voters should support candidates who remain loyal to the party’s cause.
“It is no longer about choosing who can give what. We must consider whether the candidate is someone who won’t jump from party to party. We want someone we can trust to remain loyal, work for the party, and prioritise the people’s interests over the next five years. That is the message I want to convey to voters here,” he added.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
