No effect on Sabah BN's chances in coming polls
Published on: Thursday, March 22, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: The passing of two Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen within a week will not affect the performance of the ruling State coalition in the imminent 14th General Election (GE14).Deputy Chief Minister cum Umno Sabah Secretary Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin said there would be no effect to the State Cabinet line-up as well as the coalition in the coming general election."In politics, succession of leadership is not a problem as every party has its respective hierarchy of level of leadership which is already there. We have leaders on the ground, divisional heads and branches level and it is only a matter of time the election candidates will be announced," he said.ADVERTISEMENT State Resource Development and Information technology Minister Datuk Siringan Gubat, 68, passed away due to heart attack at Gleneagles hospital Tuesday night while State Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan, 56, succumbed to cancer on March 14. "Tawfiq and Siringan will always be remembered as good leaders as their passing are a great loss not only to their respective constituencies but also to Sabah," he said.Yahya, who is also Petagas Assemblyman, said he and the late Siringan were schoolmates in Sabah College more than 30 years ago. "I knew him more when he contested as election candidate in Ranau in past general elections when he went against the late Datuk Mark Koding."He was soft-spoken and very friendly as well as a very dedicated leader and his passing (on Tuesday night) indeed a great loss to the people in Ranau," he said.ADVERTISEMENT Meanwhile, Malaysian Ambassador to Vatican City Tan Sri Bernard Dompok expressed his deepest condolences on the passing of Siringan. He said it was heart-breaking to hear the sad news as Siringan was well known for his humility and was never one who would hurt the feelings of others. Bernard said he (Siringan) was always prepared to sacrifice his own career for the furtherance of a common cause.
ADVERTISEMENT
"He (Siringan) never promised what he could not deliver but he would go the extra mile to deliver the best that he could. That is the Siringan Gubat that I knew for more than half my life."No words can describe the sense of loss upon the departure of a true friend but I take comfort in knowing that he is ready to meet HIM (God).Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
"To Datin Rosalind and all their children, you had a husband and a father who you can forever be proud of. We are with you in this difficult time and are joining you in prayers from Rome," he said. - Hayati Dzulkifli