KOTA KINABALU: Kinabatangan Umno Youth chief Mohd Na’im Kurniawan Moktar fulfils three vital prerequisites to be Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate for the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election.
Sabah Umno liaison committee chairman Datuk Jafry Ariffin said the three prerequisites are organisational legitimacy, grassroots acceptance and the ability to carry the voters’ mandate. He added that Mohd Na’im’s fulfilment of these criteria was important, stressing that leadership continuity within political science does not revolve solely around blood relations.
“He was chosen based on party institutional strength, grassroots support and his ability to carry forward the struggle through service, not mere symbolism.
“The Kinabatangan by-election is not a test of an individual, but a test of political institutional stability, voters’ trust and BN‘s ability to retain a development mandate in a challenging and strategic area,” he said in a statement today.
Jafry, who is also Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, said Sabah Umno welcomed the move and would stand strong, united and focused to ensure the
voices of Kinabatangan residents are championed in a principled manner.
Earlier today, BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed Na’im as the coalition’s candidate for the Kinabatangan by-election following the death of the incumbent, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, on Dec 5.
Bung Moktar had also won the Lamag state seat during the 17th Sabah general election on Nov 29.
The Election Commission has set Jan 24 as polling day for both the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election and the Lamag state by-election, with nominations on Jan10 and early voting on Jan 20.
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