KOTA KINABALU: The Barisan Nasional candidate for Bingkor, Kennedy Jie John will be up against two formidable opposition candidates in the May 5 general election.
The 37-year-old from Apin Apin, is likely to be challenged by State Reform Party (STAR) chairman Jeffrey Kitingan and former Federal Territory deputy minister Ahmad Shah Tambakau.
The two veteran and heavyweight politicians have confirmed their respective candidacies.
Jie is being fielded by BN coalition member, the native-based Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko), to defend the seat held by Justin Guka who won the seat for Upko in the 2004 and 2008 general elections.
Jeffrey almost defeated Guka in the last election on a PKR ticket when he polled 4,418 votes, just 171 short of the 4,589 votes garnered by Guka.
A former Bingkor assemblyman Uling Thomas Anggan who contested as an independent obtained 164 votes and a fourth candidate Victor Leornadus, also an independent, managed 129 votes. Both lost their deposits
Tambakau, who will be contesting on a PKR ticket, was a former MP for Keningau which encompasses the state seats of Bingkor and Tambunan.
Incumbent MP Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is PBS president, will be defending his Keningau seat against his younger brother Jeffrey who is standing there too.
Retired teacher Wilfred Win Ponil is the PKR candidate taking on Pairin for the Tambunan state seat which the latter has held for over three decades.
While Jie, a chef who trained in Canada, looks to be facing an uphill task for victory, he is not unduly worried as two-term assemblyman Guka whom Upko dropped will be campaigning alongside him starting Saturday after nominations close.
His nomination will be proposed by Guka and seconded by Bingkor’s people development leader Baidi Ariffin.
Despite being dropped, Guka has pledged to focus his energy in ensuring a resounding victory for BN in his former constituency.
Jie will also have his father John Angian, the former state legislative assembly deputy speaker, leading Upko’s Bingkor campaign team and acting as his advisor. Angian was also a former Bingkor assemblyman.
Also in his corner will be the Keningau BN Youth movement which he belongs to as the Upko Komulakan youth wing chairman. He is also a supreme council member of Upko Komulakan.
The contest for the Bingkor seat is likely to be a five-cornered fight as Anggan, now head of the Sabah chapter of the Parti Keadilan Insan Tanah Air (Kita) announced recently that he would be contesting in Bingkor and Keningau in the coming polls.
The large numbers of candidates for Bingkor will be to the advantage of the national coalition as was shown in the last election. BN remembers that it owes its slim victory in the constituency in the 2008 general elections to the two independents.
Star Sarawak is the real spoiler in Sabah...they are BN agents!
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