Star to contest in Tambunan and Paginatan, says Jeffrey
Published on: Monday, August 24, 2020
By: NST
RANAU: Sabah Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) confirmed it will field candidates in the Tambunan and Paginatan state seats in the coming state election.Its President Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (pic) said the two seats would be represented by Star and it was still negotiating with other partners under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) to get other seats.ADVERTISEMENT
He also said incumbent Paginatan Assemblyman Datuk Abidin Madingkir would continue his political struggle through Star after leaving United Progressive Kinabalu Oragnisation (Upko) last month.
“What is definite now is Star will contest in Paginatan and Tambunan. Negotiations for other seats are ongoing. There are several seats we ask for but cannot announce yet,” he said.
Jeffrey, who is incumbent Tambunan Assemblyman, was speaking to the media after receiving Madingkir’s entry into the party along with about 1,000 former Upko members at a programme in Kampung Lohan, here.
Madingkir was among several Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan)-led government lawmakers who crossed over to support the state opposition led by former Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman in a bid to take over the Sabah Government.ADVERTISEMENT
The attempt failed after Chief Minister and Warisan President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal had sought for the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly and was consented by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.
In the coming state election with nomination day on Sept 12, Star will retain Madingkir to defend Paginatan based on the strong support of his followers in the area, while Jeffrey will defend his Tambunan seat.
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Commenting on the intention of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) to take over Tambunan this time, Jeffrey said each party has the right to choose the seat they want to contest but it is up to the people to decide.
Tambunan is PBS traditional seat held by its former President Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan from 1976 before falling into the hands of Jeffery, who is also his brother, in the 14th General Election (GE14) in 2018.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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In GE14, Star also won the Bingkor state seat, while Sook fell under the party the state constituency’s elected representative, Datuk Ellron Angin, left Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) and joined Star at the end of 2018. Star is also expected to defend the two state seats.
On the use of emblems, Jeffrey said leaders of all parties would discuss the pros and cons of using one emblem to represent the PN team in a meeting expected to be held before the end of this month.