SABAH POLLS | Sabah BN head Bung Moktar Radin said the reason former chief minister Musa Aman was not given a seat to contest in the upcoming Sabah election was because he didn't ask for one.
"Musa had never requested to contest as a BN candidate," he told a press conference in Kota Kinabalu today.
Asked if BN took the initiative to offer a seat to the incumbent Sungai Sibuga assemblyperson, Bung said this was not done.
His explanation came after the unveiling of Umno's list of candidates for the Sept 26 state election.
Umno will be contesting 31 out of the 73 state seats in Sabah.
Musa, a long-time Umno warlord, had contested in Sungai Sibuga under Umno and BN since 1994.
He was responsible for mounting a political coup through the defections of state assemblypersons against the Warisan-led Sabah government in July.
However, he was thwarted after Chief Minister Shafie Apdal secured a dissolution of the state assembly.
Musa was ousted as chief minister after the 2018 general election, also through defections.
He was previously seen as a rival to Bung and a possible chief ministerial candidate if BN can win a majority of seats in the upcoming state election.
Meanwhile, Bung denied that BN is dominating its coalition partners in the state polls with Umno contesting only about 40 percent of the seats.
"BN is not the dominant (party), but we are a coalition," he said.
To a question, Bung did not deny the possibility that his party candidates may face sabotage on the ground.
"The possibility of (the media) sabotaging us is also very high," he said in jest when asked about the possibility of sabotage during the election.
On Aug 21, Umno supreme council member Abdul Rahman Dahlan, together with 10 division leaders, who were seen as leaders aligned to Musa, had objected to the party's decision in appointing Bung as the Sabah election director.
Bung, who later made peace with Rahman, said it was time for Umno leaders to cooperate as a team.
Rahman similarly indicated his readiness to move on.
"There is a time for disagreements, but right now, this is the time for BN and friends to win Sabah. For now, that is more important," he posted on Twitter.
Bung was confident BN can win in the upcoming state polls.
The announced Umno candidates for the Sabah election is as follow. However, until they are formally fielded on nomination day (Sept 12), changes are still possible.
N1 Banggi - Akram Ismail
N2 Bengkoka - Harun Durabi
N3 Pitas - Sufian Abdul Karim
N9 Tempasuk - Mohd Arsad Bistari
N10 Usukan - Salleh Said Keruak
N13 Pantai Dalit - Jasnih Daya
N16 Karambunai - Yakubah Khan
N17 Darau - Jumat Idris
N22 Tanjung Aru - Mohd Reduan Aklee
N24 Tanjung Keramat - Shahelmey Yahya
N29 Pantai Manis - Mohd Tamin @ Tamin Zainal
N30 Bongawan - Ag Lahap Ag Bakar
N34 Lumadan - Kamarlin Ombi
N35 Sindumin - Sani Miasin
N43 Kemabong - Raime Unggi
N47 Telupid - Abdul Wahab Abdul Gani
N48 Sugut - James Ratib
N50 Gum gum - Suhaimi Nasir
N51 Sungai Manila - Mokran Ingkat
N52 Sungai Sibuga - Mohamad Hamsan Awang Supian
N53 Sekong - Hazulizah Md Dani (female)
N57 Kuamut - Juhari Janan
N58 Lamag - Bung Moktar Radin
N59 Sukau - Jefry Ariffin
N60 Tungku - Momen @ Abd Momen Anchai
N63 Kunak - Halid Harun
N64 Sulabayan - Abdul Manan Indanan
N67 Balung - Hamild @ Hamid Awang
N70 Kukusan - Chaya Sulaiman
N72 Tanjung Batu - Andi Muhammad Surady Bandy
N73 Paginatan - Junaidi Sahat
Follow Malaysiakini's coverage of the Sabah state election here.
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