Many seem jaded with the political race in Moyog
KOTA KINABALU: In the Donggongon town centre where people from villages around Penampang carry out their daily lives, many seem jaded with the political race to want to hazard a guess at who would emerge the winner in Moyog.
In the running is two-term Penampang MP Datuk Darell Leiking, who is contesting the state seat under Parti Warisan Sabah.
Leiking, 49, has risen from a political upstart in the 2013 general election when he knocked out political stalwart Tan Sri Bernard Dompok for the Penampang parliamentary seat to become a recognisable figure not only in Penampang but also at the federal level.
In 2018, the deputy president of Warisan won Penampang again with a whopping 23,473-vote majority in a four-cornered fight, and became the International Trade and Industry minister under the previous Pakatan Harapan government.
However, 28 months after the victory, his constituents appeared unsure who to choose out of the seven candidates in the running for the Moyog seat that comes under the Penampang parliamentary constituency.
Leiking will be facing candidates from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah parties Sabah STAR and Parti Bersatu Sabah as well as others from the Liberal Democratic Party, Parti Cinta Sabah, Parti Perpaduan Rakyat Sabah and an Independent.
On his campaign trail, Leiking struck a suave and friendly figure but despite being a well-known face, a number of his constituents were reticent about where he stood with them.
“I’d put his chances of winning at 50-50,” that was all a kuih seller, who did not want to be named, was willing to say.
A fair few, when approached, were reluctant to comment.
However, Leiking has not totally lost his touch with his constituents.
Though not yet old enough to vote, Cherry, a 19-year-old waitress at a popular coffee shop in the town centre, hailed his down-to-earth nature.
“He still comes here with his family to enjoy a bowl of ngiu chap (beef noodles), and he is friendly,” she said.
She also expressed hope of seeing more younger candidates by the time she could vote, adding that the older leaders might not relate so well to youth concerns.