Kota kinabalu: The 17th Sabah State Election sees two siblings from different political parties but driven by the same goal of championing the welfare of the Sabahans, going head-to-head for the Kukusan seat. Chaya Sulaiman, Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate for the seat, said her electoral contest against her younger brother and their differing political ideals will not affect their relationship.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Chaya expressed confidence in representing her party's principles while maintaining familial bonds. "I'm carrying BN's banner and he (Ma'mun) is carrying his own party's flag. Family members contesting against each other in elections in the Kalabakan parliamentary constituency is nothing new. We are contesting professionally. This state election is a platform for the people to decide who is most qualified to represent them and which party resonates more with them," she told reporters at the nomination centre at Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Yuk Cin.
Ma'mun, the Parti Warisan (Warisan) candidate for the seat, emphasized that their family bonds remain intact despite the political competition. He recalled the 2018 General Election, where he contested the Kalabakan parliamentary seat under Warisan against BN's late Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh, while Chaya was involved in Ghapur's campaign team. Ma'mun won the seat. Again in 2022, he faced BN's Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandi with Chaya again supporting the BN candidate. He noted that perhaps it is fate that they now contest in the Kukusan seat.
Ma'mun and Chaya are among 10 contenders for the seat, including the incumbent Datuk Rina Jainal, who previously represented Warisan but is running as an independent this time. Meanwhile, sibling rivalry also unfolds in the Petagas seat within the Putatan parliamentary constituency, with Awang Husaini Sahari contesting under the Pakatan Harapan banner against his older brother, Awang Ahmad Sah.
Awang Ahmad Sah, the incumbent for the Petagas seat, is contesting as an independent after not being renominated by Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS). A total of 73 state seats will be contested in the upcoming Sabah state election, with early voting on Nov 25 and polling day on Nov 29.