12 vying for parliament, state seats in Papar
KOTA KINABALU: The west coast division could potentially undergo a massive transformation if the people give their mandate to the unheralded upcoming 14th general election, next month.
A total of 12 candidates are contesting for parliamentary and state seats in the Papar constituency and among eight who are debutants, some believe they can bring change to the district that the people have been yearning for many years.
Despite going up against undefeated Barisan Nasional incumbent Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail for the N.22 Pantai Manis seat, first-timer Datuk Aidi Mokhtar is unperturbed in his quest to bring change.
The 63-year-old former Federal Syariah Appeal Court judge, who is contesting on a Warisan ticket, wants to transform the area into an education hub.
Sharing his vision for Papar if given the mandate to be an elected representative, Aidi said he would strive to bring development of colleges and universities to the district.
“By having universities and colleges here our young need not venture far to further their studies. It would help parents save money as their children can continue their studies here without needing to go elsewhere,” he said when met at Dewan Masyarakat Papar which doubled as a nomination centre, yesterday.
Aside from education, Aidi feels Papar also has potential to harbour industrial developments where factories can be set up to help create jobs and spur the local economy.
He also wants Papar to have a sports complex and he can see hotels popping up within two terms if he is elected as a people’s representative.
“Papar is just on the outskirt of Kota Kinabalu and we really should look into focusing development plans here so that there is adequate infrastructure to support the state capital in case of huge events in future,” he said.
His plan to realise this vision is to gather a group of 100 professionals, where 10 of them would serve in a think tank to come up with more ideas to help develop Papar into a bustling district.
Aidi said he was confident that Warisan can bring these and other changes if the people gave their full support and stand behind their cause.
Sharing his sentiment on Warisan’s ability to create waves on polling day (May 9) is Ahmad Hassan.
The 57-year-old former charted accountant is so confident that he laid everything on the line to join the party’s leadership in their plight to liberate the state from the clutches of Malayan rulers.
“The support we see here is overwhelming. And just like elsewhere in the state, Warisan is very strong here. I think if the non-supporters knew more about what we are trying to do they would definitely be behind us too,” he said.
Ahmad, who is contesting for the Paliament seat P.175 against BN incumbent Datuk Rosnah Abd Rashid Shirlin, said that Warisan is a party for everyone and that if it won, the people would enjoy equal distribution of wealth.
“The situation now is simply not the case. We see the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. It will no longer be that way if Warisan wins because we will ensure that everyone gets a chance to achieve wealth,” he said.
Ahmad said a goverment that is led by Warisan would see the return of subsidies where funds would be managed more diligently so that borrowings would be reduced to help steer the economy back onto the right track.
“In the end, we just want the people to see that if Warisan leaders are prepared to sacrifice everything for the people, then the people should stand behind us with full support,” he said.
Meanwhile, another debutant Matlin Jilon (Harapan Rakyat) said he was confident of winning the N.21 Kawang state seat from BN incumbent Datuk Ghulam Haidar Khan Bahadar.
The 58-year-old said he would provide more land for settlement purposes to put an end to the problems brought on by fires that displaced communities there on more than two occasions in the past.
“It has been a problem a few times. There is ample land but simply not enough settlement developments,” he said.
Also looking to bring change for the people is the only seasoned campaigner of the non-BN lot, Datuk James @ Ebi Ghani. The 78-year-old said he had contested in the past where once, back in the eighties during his prime, he lost by only 206 votes to a former deputy chief minister.
James, who was accompanied by his daughter, 43year-old lawyer Marianne, also wants to see change for Sabah.
The Harapan Rakyat vice president who is contesting for the Pantai Manis seat said it was time for a local party to take control of the state leadership.
“We want a Sabah that is for Sabahans because we know the main struggles here. We do not want to be controlled anymore,” he said.
Other candidates making their election debut are Elbert Sikuil (Parti Cinta Sabah-PCS), Jamil William Core (Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku-STAR), Jawasing Mianus @ Herman J. Mianus (PCS), and Salleh Eddris @ Harith Ismail (Warisan).