Most Sabah Umno defectors not being fielded again

 

Four out of five Sabah MPs who defected from Umno to Bersatu will not be fielded as candidates by either BN or Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) during the upcoming general election.

The four are Azizah Mohd Dun (Beaufort), Zakaria Mohd Edris (Libaran), Abdul Rahim Bakri (Kudat) and Yamani Hafez Musa (Sipitang).

Yamani is the son of former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman.

The fate of Beluran incumbent Ronald Kiandee is still uncertain. The BN-GRS pact is expected to announce a candidate for the seat on nomination day this Saturday.

Under the BN-GRS pact, Bersatu will be allowed to field candidates for Kudat and Sipitang while Umno will field its picks for Libaran and Beaufort.

The only elected defector to make the cut so far is Jonathan Yasin for Ranau. He defected from PKR to Bersatu in 2020.

Incumbent Ranau MP Jonathan Yasin

A defector of a different sort - Kenny Chua - also made the list. He is Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku's (Star) candidate for Penampang.

Chua was appointed as a member of the Sabah legislative assembly in 2018. He defected in 2020.

GRS is a coalition comprising Sabah Bersatu, Star, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

Meanwhile, Umno's Abdul Rahman Dahlan will be returning to his old haunt of Kota Belud to challenge incumbent Isnaraissah Munida Majilis from Warisan.

Rahman was a two-time MP for Kota Belud from 2008 until 2013.

Umno’s Abdul Rahman Dahlan

The full list of BN-GRS candidates for Sabah is as follows:

Ruddy Awah (Bersatu-Kudat)
Maximus Ongkili (PBS-Kota Marudu)
Abdul Rahman Dahlan (Umno-Kota Belud)
Joniston Bangkuai (Umno-Tuaran)
Yakub Khan (Umno-Sepanggar)
Yee Tsai Yiew (PBS-Kota Kinabalu)
Shahelmey Yahya (Umno-Putatan)
Kenny Chua (Star-Penampang)
Amirzan Mohd Ali (Bersatu-Papar)
Mohamad Alamin (Umno-Kimanis)
Siti Aminah Aching (Umno-Beaufort)
Matbali Musa (Bersatu-Sipitang)
Jonathan Yasin (Bersatu-Ranau)
Jeffrey Kitingan (Strar-Keningau)
Jamawi Jaafar (Umno-Tenom)
Arthur Joseph Kurup (PBRS-Pensiangan)
Suhaimi Nasir (Umno-Libaran)
Khairul Firdaus Akbarkhan (Bersatu-Batu Sapi)
Thomas Lau Chee Keong (SAPP-Sandakan)
Bung Moktar Radin (Umno-Kinabatangan)
Maizatul Akmam Alawi (Umno-Lahad Datu)
Nixon Abdul Habi (Bersatu-Semporna)
Lo Su Fui (PBS-Tawau)
Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy (Umno-Kalabakan)

- Mkini