KUCHING, Dec 3 — Azizul Annuar Adenan, son of the late Tan Sri Adenan Satem, who has been named as the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate for Tanjung Datu seat in the 12th Sarawak state election, is determined to continue his father’s legacy in the constituency.
The late Adenan was the fifth Sarawak chief minister.
Speaking to Bernama when met after the official letter of candidacy presentation from the coalition to the candidates today, Azizul said he wanted to continue development in the area, regarding the economy, commerce and infrastructure through the existing development vision and action plan if he wins the state seat.
“Tanjung Datu is an area where its geography is larger than Negri Sembilan and I see many more developments such as improving basic infrastructure and turning the area into a hub and tourism potential in Sarawak, especially in the southern zone,” he said.
Azizul, 30, was among the young candidates, featured by GPS in the upcoming state election on December 18, whereby the candidates are described as pioneers of the future politics of Sarawak.
In the 11th Sarawak state election, Adenan who was fondly known as Tok Nan, representing Barisan Nasional (BN), defended the seat representing Barisan Nasional for three consecutive terms and also proved his influence when he led BN to secure 72 out of 82 state seats.
The widow of Adenan, Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu, had won the Tanjong Datu seat in a by-election in 2017, replacing Adenan, who died from heart complications on January 11, 2017.
GPS comprising Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) (formerly known as Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) exited the BN following the coalition defeat in the 14th general election (GE14).
The four parties then formed GPS on June 12, 2018, and led the Sarawak state government.
Another new GPS candidate, 33-year-old Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor, described her candidacy as proof of the coalition’s top leadership’s trust in the ability of women candidates
Contesting for the first time in the state election, she was confident of defending the Lingga seat, which was previously held by Datuk Simoi Peri.
She added the campaign standard operating procedure (SOP) which may be more stringent due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was not an excuse for not trying to convey her aspirations to voters in the area.
Meanwhile, Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom, who is among the oldest candidate for GPS and has been named to defend the Pakan seat, said his aim was not solely on developing fundamental infrastructure in Pakan but also to provide accessibility for the people in the district to develop their socio-economy through sectors like agriculture.
William, 72, stressed that Pakan must be developed in tandem with proposed developments within Sarawak and pointed out the need for rural transformation in the state. — Bernama
