CANDIDATES GALORE ON NOMINATION DAY

GEARED UP ...... Barisan Nasional candidates (from left) Agnes Shim, Chin Teck Ming, Yee Moh Chai and Chin Shu Ying) posed with their supporters after nominations ended.

By : ELAINE MAH & IS CREW

THE RACE for votes begins yesterday as candidates hand over their nomination applications for parliamentary and state seats across the country. A total of 222 parliamentary and 505 state seats will be contested.

The nomination process began at 9 am yesterday and lasted for an hour. Candidates filed their nomination forms to the Election Commission (EC) officials at various multipurpose halls. The process  this year is different from previous ones in that the EC has abolished the period of public objection against any candidates seeking nomination.

It was a lively occasion at the Maksak Hall in Likas where hundreds of supporters from various parties came to cheer their respective candidates. Nominations for four seats within Kota Kinabalu were received at Maksak Hall by the EC.

A total of 16 candidates will contest seats in the Kota Kinabalu area, three for the Kota Kinabalu Parliamentary seat (P172), five for the Api-Api State seat (N15), four for the Likas State seat (N14), and four for the Luyang State seat (N16).

The Kota Kinabalu P172 seat will see a three-way fight between Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Chin Teck Ming, Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) Jimmy Wong and State Reform Party’s (STAR) Michael Liew.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr. Yee Moh Chai will be defending his seat in the Api-Api N15 constituency against four other candidates - Christina Liew of the People’s Justice Party (PKR), Felix Chong of STAR, Wong Yit Ming of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and independent candidate lawyer Marcel Jude Joseph.

Four candidates will be contesting for the N14 Likas State seat. BN’s Chin Shu Ying will be up against DAP’s Wong Hong Jun, SAPP’s Yong Teck Lee and STAR’s Ho Cheong Tshun.

In N16 Luyang, BN’s Agnes Shim, STAR’s Jafery bin Jomion, DAP’s Hiew King Chiu and SAPP’s Melanie Chia will do battle for the state seat.

Meanwhile, across town, a great many BN supporters gathered to show solidarity with the Putatan BN parliamentary candidate Datuk Dr Marcus Makin Mojigoh who will defend his Putatan parliamentary seat..

CHEERED.... (From left) BN candidates Marcus Mojigoh, Yahya Hussin and Edward Yong Oui Fah cheered with supporters at the end of Nomination day.

Spearheading the rally, Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin along with the candidate Datuk Dr Marcus Mojigoh and Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah led a march of over 1,000 BN supporters from the district mosque to the nomination centre.

According to the Election Commission (EC) register there are over 39,000 eligible voters in the Putatan Parliamentary constitutency, which sets the stage for a raucous multi-cornered showdown among contestants for the seats.

Incumbent Putatan Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Marcus Makin Mojigoh representing UPKO under the BN coalition will defend the parliament seat against State Reform Party’s (STAR) Awang Ahmad Sah, Dulie Hj. Marie (SAPP) and Dr Joseph Lee Han Kyun (DAP).

Vying for the state seat, UMNO Putatan strongman Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin is up against Mat Yunin @Mohd Yunin Bin Atin(PKR) and Awang Ahmad Sah (STAR).

In Tanjung Aru, BN’s Datuk  Edward Yong Oui Fah (PBS) will cross swords with STAR’s Salleh Bin Tiasi @Tiaseh, Hamid Ismail (PAS) and Richard Yong We Kong (SAPP)  for the state seat.

In response to a question posed by the press, Yahya Hussin said that being nominated is a chance for the candidates to show their leadership quality and capability to serve  the people.

He added, “It is not about the pursuit of self-interest or other things. We offer ourselves as candidates and once elected, we will serve to develop the state for the progress of the people.” (Insight Sabah)