Umno to contest 31 seats in Sabah polls, Musa excluded

Former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman (left) and Umno Supreme Council member Abdul Rahman Dahlan are unlikely to contest in the state election.

KOTA KINABALU: Umno will contest 31 seats in the coming Sabah election although several big names, including former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman and supreme council member Abdul Rahman Dahlan, appear to have been excluded as candidates.

Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin, who announced the candidates, said former federal minister Salleh Said Keruak will contest the Usuakan state seat in Kota Belud.

Bung, who is also the Kinabatangan MP, will contest the new state seat of Lamag, which is in his parliamentary constituency.

At a press conference, Bung said 95% of Umno’s candidates are new faces.

He said the other Barisan Nasional component parties, MCA and PBRS, will announce their candidates later.

This comes after a planned event to announce the BN and Sabah PPBM candidates fizzled out this morning.

The name of the event was also changed to “Ramah Mesra with leaders from BN and Perikatan Nasional”.

On the omission of Musa, Bung said he had lobbied for a seat from the party. Musa had said on Facebook yesterday he wanted to contest in the new Sungai Manila constituency.

“We have said we respect all leaders, but it is just that Musa has never applied to become a candidate for BN,” he said, adding that Musa was also not offered a seat.

He said he understood that certain quarters might be unhappy with the candidates list, which included two women.

He hoped that acts like sabotage would not take place, although he admitted it could be possible.

“SWe chose the candidates based on the criteria that they must be friendly to the people, committed to working for them and winnable,” he said.

“I’m sure that with BN and Sabah PPBM working together, we can win and form the next government.”

Asked why the joint announcement of candidates by BN and Sabah PPBM did not take place, Bung said PPBM was more comfortable doing it on its own.

Among the Umno veterans contesting are former MPs Jumat Idris and Raime Unggi.

James Ratib, who left Umno to join Upko only to leave it later, will defend his Sugut seat.

Umno is also going for the Paginatan seat, a Kadazan Dusun Murut majority area, previously held by former Upko assemblyman Abidin Madingkir, one of those who defected from Warisan Plus to support Musa.

The list of Sabah Umno candidates:

Akram Ismail (Banggi), Harun Durabi (Bengkoka), Sufian Abdul Karim (Pitas), Mohd Arsad Bistari (Tempasuk), Salleh Said Keruak (Usukan), Jasnih Daya (Pantai Dalit), Yakubah Khan (Karambunai), Jumat Idris (Darau), Mohd Reduan Aklee (Tanjung Aru), Shahelmey Yahya (Tanjung Keramat), Mohd Tamin Zainal (Pantai Manis), Ag Lahap Ag Bakar (Bongawan), Kamarlin Ombi (Lumadan), Sani Miasin (Sindumin), Raime Unggi (Kemabong) Abdul Wahab Abdul Gani (Telupid), James Ratib (Sugut), Suhaimi Nasir (Gum-Gum), Mokran Ingkat (Sungai Manila), Mohammad Hamsan Awang Supian (Sungai Sibuga), Hazulizah Md Dani (Sekong), Juhari Janan (Kuamut), Bung Moktar Radin (Lamag), Jafry Ariffin (Sukau), Abd Momen Anchai (Tunku), Halid Harun (Kunak), – Abdul Manan Indanan (Sulabayan), Hamid Awang (Balung), Chaya Sulaiman (Kukusan), Andi Muhammad Surady Bandy (Tanjung Batu ) and Junaidi Sahat (Paginatan). - FMT