KOTA KINABALU: The question of “when will the State Election (PRN) be held” has been a hot topic of discussion in Sabah of late, especially in coffee shops.
Many have speculated about the potential candidates that will be fielded by the contesting parties, particularly the credibility of the representatives to become champions and defenders of the people.
Among the 73 seats up for grabs in the upcoming PRN, the mixed constituency of Inanam is touted to be one of the hot seats
The Inanam state constituency presents an intriguing battleground in this PRN due to numerous contributing factors.
According to statistics, the majority of voters in Inanam are from the Kadazandusun community, followed by Chinese and Bumiputera Muslim voters.
According to forecasts, it is widely anticipated that the People’s Justice Party (PKR), which is a part of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, may have the upper hand. The other component parties
of PH are DAP, Amanah and UPKO.
This is because in the previous PRN,
Peto Galim, the PKR candidate, emerged victorious in the Inanam seat with a resounding win.
Peto, currently serving as the Assistant Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Sabah, is expected to contest and defend the Inanam constituency in the forthcoming PRN.
In addition to incumbent Peto, there are other local figures being considered or touted as potential candidates for Inanam.
These include Edna Jessica Majimbon, the District Chief at the Kota Kinabalu Native Court (MAN), and Dr Jikat Binol Darimbang, who has a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Both individuals are affiliated with the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).
Another notable figure is Dr Roland Chia, a former Assemblyman of Inanam, who represents the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat).
Both PBS and Gagasan Rakyat are constituents of GRS, whereas at present, GRS and PH jointly hold authority in governing the state government.
Nevertheless, experts in local politics anticipate that a potential conflict among PH (PKR), PBS, and Gagasan Rakyat might be averted if PH is granted the Inanam seat during the negotiation process.
If such a scenario arises, PH (PKR) is likely to face a challenge from other opposition parties, specifically KDM, Warisan, and BN.
Currently, KDM, BN, and Warisan are taking a wait-and-see approach and are expected to make their moves, potentially as a united opposition, once the Sabah State Legislative Assembly is dissolved.
Political analysts believe that Inanam, being a diverse, educated, semi-urban constituency, will serve as a test to gauge the voters’ preferences regarding representation in the Sabah legislative assembly.
They view it as an interesting indicator to determine whether voters will support a local party or align with Pakatan Harapan (a national coalition) in the event of a direct contest between PH and a local party such as KDM or Warisan for the Inanam state constituency.
