PENAMPANG, April 28 — Three of the four candidates in Penampang are related to each other, and they will all battle it out for the hot Kadazandusun majority seat.
Incumbent from Parti Warisan Sabah deputy president Darell Leiking, 44, goes up against Upko’s young, up-and-comer Ceasar Mandela Malakun, 27, the youngest BN candidate in the state, and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR)’s Cleftus Stephen Spine, 63.
All three have ties with Kampung Limbanak and are related by blood or marriage.
The only exception is Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri’s Datuk Dr Edwin Jack Bosi, 62, who is the Kapayan incumbent. He is, however, related to Moyog and Kapayan candidates Jenifer and Jannie Lasimbang.
For the Kapayan state seat, it will be a three-cornered fight between property tycoon MCA Datuk Francis Goh, DAP’s native rights activist Jannie and STAR’s Chong Pit Fah.
In the Moyog seat, Upko is fielding its secretary-general Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin, while Warisan is fielding engineer-cum-children’s advocate Jenifer, 44.
STAR is fielding Danim @ Aloysius Siap, a 64-year-old former civil servant, while Parti Cinta Sabah’s candidate is 60-year-old Bandasan @ Dennis Tunding, a karate instructor.
The Penampang seat is a hotly contested one, as it is in the Kadazan heartland and was won by the Opposition in the 2013 election.
Last year, Leiking, under a PKR ticket, beat Upko president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok by 10,000 votes, while PKR’s Terence Siambun beat Upko’s Datuk Philip Lasimbang in Moyog.
In Kapayan, Dr Bosi won under a DAP ticket, beating out Chong, and MCA’s Datuk Edward Khoo.
“It will be a friendly fight. We are Kadazans from Penampang. We will fight but it is never personal,” said Cleftus.
