Amanah candidate contesting for sixth time
SANDAKAN: Candidate of Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) in P.185 Batu Sapi, Hamzah Abdullah, casted his vote at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Batu Sapi here at around 9.30am, for P.185 Batu Sapi and N.43 Sekong.
Hamzah who is the chairman of Amanah Sabah, is contesting in a general election for the sixth time.
He first contested in 1986, representing PAS in Jambongan parliamentary seat (now Beluran), and in 1999 he lost when contesting in Labuk state seat representing USNO. In 2004, he lost for the third time when contesting for Sekong state seat representing PAS, and lost again in 2008 in Gaya parliamentary seat (Kota Kinabalu).
In the last election, Hamzah contested at his home town in Batu Sapi parliamentary seat representing PAS and lost to incumbent Datuk Linda Tsen Thau Lin, with majority votes of 3,798.
“This may be my final attempt to be a people's representative,” he said.
It will be the first time that Hamzah represents Amanah to contest.
Due to failed negotiation between Amanah and Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), Batu Sapi seat also had a candidate from Warisan, Datuk Liew Vui Keong.
Two other contestants at the seat are incumbent Datuk Linda Tsen Thau Lin from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) of Barisan Nasional (BN) and Norsah Bongsu from PAS.
Meanwhile, Tsen casted her vote for P.185 Batu Sapi and N.43 Sekong at Sekolah Menegah Agama Tun Juhar here at around 10am.
Tsen had been holding the seat since she replaced her late husband, Datuk Chong Ket Wah @ Chong Ket Fah who won the seat uncontested in 2004 and retained it in 2008.
Tsen managed to retain her husband's position in a by-election in 2010 after his death, against Parti Pakatan Rakyat candidate Ansari Abdullah and president of SAPP, Datuk Yong Teck Lee, with majority 6,359 votes.