Rahman offers himself for Kota Belud gain
Published on: Sunday, May 21, 2017
Kota Belud: MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan (pic) has thrown his hat into the ring, saying he too wants to be considered for nomination to again contest the Kota Belud seat in the coming general election.In an apparent reference to at least one senior politician who announced "readiness" to run for a seat in the said area, Rahman felt it was perhaps best that he, too, do the same. "I am just celebrating our country's democracy process. If anybody could say that he is interested to become the candidate for so and so constituency, then I want to say, if you are interested, then I am interested too.
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"So don't strike me out of the list," he quipped, when speaking to reporters after presenting the van keys to Christian communities, here, Saturday.The two-term parliamentarian said, however, that following the tradition of Barisan Nasional and Umno, the decision will eventually be made by the top party leadership, especially because Kota Belud constituency had long been reserved for Umno.He said anybody can express their intention to offer themselves as candidates, including himself, but at the end of the day, the decision lies with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.Nevertheless, Rahman who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, relented that since it is not up to him, his current position depends on how well he performs in his job.
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"I am a party man. If they believe I am the best for the job, then I would be happy to carry on. "But if they believe someone else should take over, I will leave it to their judgement because this is what makes BN and Umno strong.
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"We have to rely on the wisdom of our top leadership," he said.Recently, a veteran politician had announced his intention to return to active politics, hinting that he is the most suitable person to contest in the election because he has enough experience to explain the various issues raised by the government and the opposition to the people at grassroots level.He, however, left it to the Umno and BN leadership to determine whether he is suitable to be nominated to contest for either a state or a parliamentary seat.Meanwhile, Rahman said the 40,000-strong Christian community in the district, especially in the Kadamaian area, deserves the same treatment as any other community as they also have their own necessities and problems that need addressing.He said it was with this in mind that his parliamentary office decided to engage with Ekovest Sdn Bhd to provide two vans to the Kota Belud Council of Churches and SIB Nahaba Council so they could organise their activities for the benefit of Christians under their care."Besides, I have also provided solar panels for the Kampung Piasau SIB Church. They no longer have to pay bills because they can just use solar energy."Furthermore, I have contributed RM10,000 to five governing church bodies in the district with each receiving RM2,000. This is a follow-up to a similar event a fortnight ago where I also presented three vans to mosques in the district in addition to RM500,000 cash donations, to be distributed to all the mosques here," he said.Although RM10,000 may seem small compared to the RM500,000 given to the mosques, Rahman said besides the cash contributions, he had also helped many of the churches in the district."Even this (Kg Piasau SIB) church, I have contributed towards its construction and this is the second biggest SIB church in Kota Belud," he said.As a representative of the district, he said it is his responsibility to look into the interests of all the people, regardless of their race and religion.Commenting on the infrastructure needs in Kadamaian, Rahman said as a Minister in charge of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), he vowed to find ways to address the infrastructure problem, especially roads in the area.Noting that the tourism industry in Kadamaian is booming, road development is therefore crucial to help the rapid growth of the industry."There are many homestays here... several tagal system and not to mention the beautiful Mount Kinabalu. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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