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KOTA KINABALU: Perikatan Nasional Secretary General Hamzah Zainudin is “shocked” that two independent candidates occupying seats contested by PBS have joined STAR.
Hamzah said he was not aware of such developments when asked about Kenny Chua and Anita Baranting, who are running as independents in the Inanam and Tandek seats, respectively, against the PBS candidates.
“What? It’s a surprise to me, I haven’t heard anything,” he told reporters after a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) ceramah last night.
On Tuesday, Hamzah had managed to convince PBS to stop contesting the Bingkor and Tambunan seats, while STAR, in return, would “withdraw” two independent party-linked candidates in Bengkoka and Api-Api and campaign for PBS.
The candidates will technically remain standing in their respective seats, but have agreed to campaign for the other party following the consensus negotiated by Hamzah.
But just hours after PBS and STAR signed the deal, STAR handed Chua his party membership card and Baranting sent his membership form to STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan at a ceremony in Kota Marudu yesterday.
Although Chua and Baranting remain independent on the ballot, their association with STAR means that the party, regardless of the other contending parties, will face PBS in six seats.
In total, the three GRS partners, Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasionalo and PBS, face each other on 17 seats.
PBS General Secretary Jahid Jahim, who was also in the GRS ceramah, declined to comment on the incorporation of independents into STAR, saying it was a “new development.”
Jahid, who defends his seat in Tamparuli, said he needed time to check what was going on.
He said that PBS will continue to honor the agreement reached earlier for the party to withdraw from the race for the Bingkor and Tambunan seats.
Jahid had previously shared the stage with Jeffrey by delivering speeches at the ceramah, heralded as the largest GRS rally so far this election campaign. Also present were the Prime Minister and President of the PN, Muhyiddin Yassin.
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