PBS retains incumbents

The selection of PBS candidates for the 13th general election left observers surprised and supporters disappointed.

PENAMPANG: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Umno’s staunchest local ally, will field all its incumbents in the May 5 general election much to the disappointment of its supporters and political observers.

The party has three MPs and 12 assemblymen.

The only new faces on the list are former school principal Mary Yap who will contest in Tawau and Fung Fen Lui who is slotted for the Tanjung state seat.

PBS lost Tanjung to DAP’s Jimmy Wong in the 2008 general election. Wong is set to defend his seat.

PBS was allocated an additional parliamentary seat – Tawau – which is currently held by Sabah People’s Progressive Party (SAPP).

SAPP’s Chua Boon Bui won the seat while the party was a partner in the Barisan Nasional coalition. SAPP quit the coalition in 2008.

In Kota Kinabalu, PBS has re-nominated lawyer Chin Teck Ming, who lost the seat in the 2008 polls.

PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan announced his final list soon after Sabah BN chief Musa Aman announced the state BN’s list earlier in the evening.

Pairin, 73, will defend both his state (Tambunan) and parliamentary (Keningau) seats despite speculations that he would drop one.

By defending his Keningau seat, the ageing leader is poised to face once again his younger brother Jeffrey, 64. The face-off has already generated intense interest.

The other two PBS incumbent MPs are Maximus Ongkili in Kota Marudu and Linda Tsen of Batu Sapi.

Besides Pairin, Ongkili and Tsen, the other incumbents who will defend their respective seats are Sarapin Magana (Matunggung), Anita Baranting (Tandek), Herbert Timbun Lagadan (Kadamaian), Jahid Jahim (Tamparuli), Louis Rampas (Kiulu), Johnny Goh (Inanam), Dr Yee Moh Chai (Api-Api), Edward Yong (Tanjung Aru), Dr Joachim Gunsalam (Kundasang), Michael Asang (Labuk) and Radin Maleh (Melalap).

Meanwhile, opposition parties SAPP and Jeffrey-led State Reform Party (STAR) are expected to announce their respective line-ups tomorrow and on Thursday.

STAR is also scheduled to launch its election manifesto on Thursday.