00:01Analysts say it would be better to open the Kinabatangan and Lamak by-elections to contest than for political parties to make way for Barca National to retain the parliamentary and state seats following the death of Bung Mokdar Radin.
00:16Bilcher Bala and Shahruddin Awang Ahmad, both of University Malaysia Sabah, told FMT that this would safeguard the interest of voters by returning the mandate to them instead of giving BN walkovers.
00:27They were commenting on past instances where parties opted not to contest seats previously held by a senior leader, including in 2015 when UMNO decided not to challenge PAS for the Chimpaka seat following the passing of its revered leader, Nik Aziz Nikmat.
00:44Bilcher said any sort of understanding to allow the inheritance of a seat through a walkover would mean diminishing the voice of voters to choose their elected representative, adding that political unity should not supersede democratic principles.
01:00Shahruddin also said giving away the seat so easily to BN can create a negative perception that it belongs to one party or political dynasty.
01:09Bung's son, Naeem Kurniawan Mokdar, has been touted as a potential candidate for BN in one of the seats.
Be the first to comment