SABAH POLLS: PARTY-HOPPING SENTIMENT DOES NOT DAMPEN PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR JAMAWI

By Muhammad Saufee Rosman and Arthur Edward

TENOM, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- Party-hopping sentiments have not dampened the local community’s support for Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) candidate for the Melalap state seat in the 17th Sabah State Election, Datuk Jamawi Ja’afar.

Jamawi, who is the Tenom Division chief of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS), is contesting the upcoming state polls as a PKR candidate, under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) ticket.

The former Kemabong assemblyman said his visits to several villages in the Melalap constituency since the campaign began showed that the response and acceptance from the local community were very encouraging, especially after learning that he is representing the party led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“Initially, I was concerned about the sentiments surrounding my party switch, as well as the debate between local parties and national parties. But when I visited the villages, it appeared that the local communities were accepting of me.

“Some villagers even asked who the president of the party I represent is, and when I told them that it was Anwar Ibrahim, they immediately responded that the Prime Minister was the one who ‘put money in their identity cards’ to buy necessities - referring to the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) assistance,” he told Bernama.

Jamawi said that Melalap, located within the Tenom parliamentary constituency, about 140 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu, is a rural constituency, and support for PH there has been growing stronger by the day, giving him renewed motivation to continue campaigning.

“I would like to thank the Prime Minister for stopping by Tenom on Sunday. Although the visit was brief, it sent a strong signal to voters in Melalap to support the PH candidate.

“This will strengthen the relationship between the state government or the Melalap state constituency and Putrajaya, making it easier to channel more allocations and bring the people’s issues to be resolved at the federal level,” he said.

At the same time, Jamawi said cooperation between PH, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Barisan Nasional (BN) in Melalap has been running very smoothly and steadily.

“For the Melalap context, I am grateful, because the plans of PH, BN and GRS are being carried out effectively here. This means that GRS leaders fully support me as the candidate, and the same goes for BN leaders,” he said.

The Election Commission (EC) has set Nov 25 for early voting, while polling day will be on Nov 29.

According to EC statistics, a total of 1,784,843 voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this election. This comprises 1,760,417 ordinary voters, 11,697 military personnel and their spouses, and 12,729 police personnel and their spouses.

For the latest news on the 17th Sabah State Election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/sabah/index.php.

N42: MELALAP: SABAH: 21,320

1. Gabriel George Tulas     (Independent)

2. Priscella Peter                (KDM)

3. Datuk Jamawi Ja’afar    (PH-PKR)

4. Alviana Linus                  (STAR)

5. Cheld Bryend Lind         (Warisan)

6. Junik Bajit                      (UPKO)

7. Kevin Chong                  (PIS)

8. Fatimah Ibrahim            (Independent)

(2020: Peter Anthony: Warisan Plus-Warisan: Majority: 1,719)

-- BERNAMA