Elopura rep not defending seat in next election

Au Kam Wah says he wants to let younger, more educated and capable leaders take over.

Elopura assemblyman Au Kam Wah

PETALING JAYA: Elopura assemblyman Au Kam Wah has decided not to defend his seat in the next election.

“I have informed Chief Minister Musa Aman and Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong about my decision,” the Sabah Gerakan assemblyman said yesterday.

“My decision is to allow for younger, more educated and capable leaders to take over,” The Star quoted the 54-year-old third-term assemblyman as saying.

Au, who is Sabah Energy Corporation chairman, won the seat in 2004 on a Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) ticket, but joined Gerakan when SAPP left Barisan Nasional (BN) after the 2008 general election.

“I have proposed Elopura community development leader Chan Tzun Hei to be the next candidate for the Elopura seat,” the Gerakan central committee member said.

He said the 34-year-old Chan, who was also the secretary of Sabah Gerakan and a member of the party’s central committee, had been working on the ground with the Elopura electorate and would be the best person to replace him.

Au, together with Raymond Tan, another SAPP leader from Sandakan, did not follow the party when it left BN.

They joined Sabah Gerakan with their two seats, boosting Gerakan, which did not contest in Sabah in 2008.

Tan, who is a deputy chief minister and Tanjung Papat assemblyman, and Au retained their seats on Barisan tickets in the 2013 election. FMT