Kota Kinabalu: Riduan Rubin, an independent candidate vying for the Tenom seat, has joined Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), according to a source in the party.
Riduan’s membership form was handed over to KDM president Peter Anthony, whose nomination for the Tenom parliamentary seat was rejected last Saturday.
Peter confirmed the matter when contacted by FMT, saying the Sabah party’s election machinery will be mobilised to campaign for Riduan in Tenom.
“The only thing is that we cannot use our KDM flag or logo during the campaign,” he said, with Riduan contesting under the elephant emblem at the polls.
Riduan is the son of Kemabong assemblyman Rubin Balang, who had won the seat as an independent candidate in the September 2020 state elections. Rubin is now with Bersatu.
Peter’s nomination papers were rejected by the Election Commission last Saturday on the ground that he had an unresolved court case.
This sparked a ruckus among KDM supporters, with around 300 of them attempting to storm the nomination centre. A widely-shared video clip on social media showed tear gas being fired into a crowd carrying flags bearing the party’s logo.
Peter, a former Sabah infrastructure development minister, was then arrested to assist police in the investigation into the riot before being released.
The case is being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting.
