00:01The central UMNO leadership has been advised to heed the recent Sabah election results
00:05and stay out of the Kinabatangan and Lamag by-elections, saying the state chapter should
00:10be given full authority to plan strategy and campaigning.
00:14Lee Kuk-Tiung of University Malaysia Sabah said, UMNO needs to localize its by-election
00:19campaign as the narrative of West Malaysian leaders may not be acceptable in the local
00:24political context.
00:26Barca Nacional won only 6 of the 45 seats it contested in the state election as Sabahans
00:31voted overwhelmingly in favor of local parties.
00:35Bung Mokhtar Radin, who was Kinabatangan MP and Lamag Assemblyman until his death on December
00:405th, left both seats vacant, with by-election set for January 24th, NBN naming his son, Naim
00:47Kurniawan Mokhtar, as its Kinabatangan candidate.
00:50Lee said Bung's long service since 1999 and high regard among voters would benefit Naim
00:55through sympathy votes and access to staunch UMNO supporters.
01:00Another UMS analyst, Shahruddin Awang Ahmad, said Naim's candidacy is pragmatic and Kinabatangan
01:05win is crucial for BN but warned that independent candidates and mosquito parties could still
01:10split votes and pose a challenge.
01:14Danesh Rajareza, FMT.
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