SABAH POLLS: YOUTH FUNDS, WELFARE PUSH DOMINATE BONGAWAN, BANDAU CAMPAIGNS

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 20 (Bernama) -- With nine days left before polling for the 17th Sabah State Election, candidates are actively presenting various pledges and commitments to win voter support in the seats they are contesting.

As for Datuk Mohamad Alamin, the Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate in Bongawan, he has pledged to allocate RM1 million for youth development in the constituency if the party is given the mandate to govern again.

Mohamad, who is also Deputy Foreign Minister, said the RM1 million would come from the annual allocation for state assemblymen, and would include a RM5,000 start-up fund for youths to begin small or medium businesses, along with support for youth clubs or associations to run activities.

“Insya-Allah, this reflects my commitment and continuous support for youths if BN returns to lead Bongawan after the election,” he said when speaking at a ceramah at the Seladan district polling centre here. 

Meanwhile, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s (GRS) candidate for the Bandau seat, Datuk Redonah Bahanda, said she aims to prioritise community welfare and wellbeing, in addition to ensuring strengthened development in Bandau.

Throughout her campaign, Redonah has taken a people-centric approach by meeting grassroots communities through village visits to listen directly to their needs and concerns.

“Leaders must always remain close to the people. Such visits should not only happen during election campaigns, but must be part of our culture to stand with the community in all circumstances,” she said.

In the polls, the Bongawan seat, which comes under the Kimanis parliamentary constituency, is seeing a nine-cornered contest, while Bandau, in the Kota Marudu parliamentary constituency, is witnessing a 13-cornered fight.

Polling for the state election, involving 73 state seats, has been set for Nov 29, with early voting on Nov 25.

For the latest news on the polls, visit https://prn.bernama.com/sabah/index.php.

-- BERNAMA