Kota kinabalu: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) will be fielding its candidates in 55 state seats in the 17th state election, polling for which is on Nov 29. GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said 51 candidates were announced today, with the remaining four to be revealed tomorrow.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, of the candidates announced today, 33 percent are new faces. Hajiji made this announcement at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC). Of the 51 candidates, 29 are incumbents, while 22 are new candidates, including the presidents of two GRS component parties: USNO president Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, who will contest the Pintasan seat, and Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) president Tan Sri Anifah Aman, who will contest Bongawan.
Meanwhile, Hajiji, who is Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) president, will defend his Sulaman seat. The Sabah Chief Minister emphasized that all GRS candidates contesting in the state election would uphold the aspirations of the people of Sabah to ensure the continuity of the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development agenda.
Hajiji stated, "The GRS family is ready to serve and dedicate itself to the people of Sabah. We will strengthen our unity and fortify our spirit of struggle. We will ensure victory in this election. God willing, with this spirit, we will once again lead the Sabah government."
Speaking to reporters later, Hajiji mentioned that the candidates announced today comprised a combination of experienced leaders and new faces, whom he believed could deliver victory for GRS. He expressed hope that GRS supporters and component parties will work hard to ensure the candidates' success in the election. All candidates will be contesting under one flag - the GRS flag.
The list of GRS candidates includes notable figures like Datuk Mohammad Mohamarin for Banggi, Dr Samuil Mopun for Bengkoka, and Datuk Seri Ruddy Awah for Pitas, among others. Notably, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and Tan Sri Anifah Aman will contest in Pintasan and Bongawan, respectively, while Hajiji will run for his current Sulaman seat.