GE14 |Caretaker communication and multimedia minister Salleh Said Keruak is expected to be fielded in the Kota Beludparliamentary seat in the coming general election, according to an Umno source.
The seat's present two-term incumbent is caretaker minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan.
“Abdul Rahman will most likely be moved to the Sepanggar seat,” added the source.
The source said Salleh, whose senatorship expires in July would not face an obstacle in winning the seat.
“He is a popular figure and a former chief minister. His father Mohammad Said Keruak was also a former chief minister.
“So the voters know him well. Furthermore, he is known as a service-oriented politician and held numerous positions in the state before,” added the source.
Salleh, who is also Umno treasurer-general, served as chief minister of Sabah from 1994 to 1996. He also holds a PhD in politics.
The 61-year-old father of four is currently the incumbent of the Usukan state seat, which falls under the Kota Belud parliamentary constituency.
The Kota Belud constituency, which is roughly the size of Malacca, has an electorate of 57,710 comprising various ethnic groups, prominently the Bajau and Illanun.
In the 2008 general election, Abdul Rahman won the Kota Belud seat with a 3,020 vote majority. Five years, later he retained the seat with an increased majority of 5,095 votes.
Contacted later, Salleh declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman might face a more bumpy ride with regard to the Sepanggar seat.
There is discontent on the ground after its incumbent Jumat Idris was suspended from Umno for three years in 2015 for criticising caretaker chief minister Musa Aman in a Facebook post and speculation that he would not be fielded in the seat for the coming polls.
On April 12, it was reported that 150 members from the Sepanggar Umno division had joined Parti Warisan Sabah, which is led by former Umno vice-president Mohd Shafie Apdal.
Sepanggar has some 62,000 voters, 51 percent of whom are Muslim Bumiputera, 26 percent Chinese and 21 percent non-Muslim Bumiputera.
In the 2013 polls, Jumat won the seat with a 9,442-vote majority. -Mkini
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