Kudat MP ‘seriously considering’ BN offer, says GE16 candidacy not his goal

 Verdon Bahanda says the matter is still being discussed, and that a decision can only be made after Parliament is dissolved.

Verdon Bahanda won the Kudat parliamentary seat in GE15 with a 1,967-vote majority as an independent candidate in a five-cornered contest. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Kudat MP Verdon Bahanda admits he is seriously considering an offer to join Barisan Nasional (BN), but maintains that the move is not motivated by hopes of being fielded as a candidate in the 16th general election (GE16).

He said the matter was still being discussed and that a decision could only be made after Parliament is dissolved, as he is bound by the anti-party hopping law.

Verdon said his speech at the Rungus Cultural Carnival organised by the Momogun Rungus Association in Kudat last Saturday was merely an expression of appreciation to BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Sabah BN chief Arthur Joseph Kurup for their support for him as an independent MP.

“I am not hoping to be a candidate in GE16.

“My cooperation is more about supporting and helping the party’s candidate win in order to bring better development to the Kudat constituency in GE16, if I decide not to contest by then,” he told FMT.

Verdon said he also informed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of his intention to sit out the next election when Anwar visited Pulau Banggi in May.

At the programme in Kudat, Zahid hinted at Verdon and his brother Wetrom, the Kota Marudu MP, joining BN, saying “both their hearts have been blue for a long time”.

This sparked speculation that the brothers would join BN through Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), which is led by Kurup.

Verdon won the Kudat seat in GE15 with a 1,967-vote majority as an independent candidate in a five-cornered contest.

He lost the Tanjong Kapor state seat in the Sabah election last November. At the time, he was leading a movement known as Gelombang Hitam, a coalition of independent candidates.

Wetrom, meanwhile, won the Kota Marudu seat on a Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) ticket in GE15 with an 8,174-vote majority, defeating incumbent Maximus Ongkili, who was then president of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).

However, like his brother, Wetrom, the KDM deputy president, lost in the Sabah state election.

He lost the Matunggong seat to PBS secretary-general Julita Majungki, who won with a 334-vote majority. - FMT