Ec Bars Non Official Media From Nomination Centres

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We bring you updates on the Sabah state election nomination
Follow our coverage of the Sabah state election.Musa Aman fails to turn up at Sg Manila nomination centre10am: Dewan Serbaguna Libaran, Libaran - There was no sight of former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman despite initial speculations that he will contest as an independent candidate in N51 Sungai Manila
As nomination closed for the Sabah state polls, Musa did not turn up to file his papers. His residence is just a stone's throw away from the centre
The former Sungai Sibuga assemblyperson ignited speculations over his next political move when he tweeted earlier this week, "I am going back to Sungai Manila."At present, Musa remains an Umno member although his allegiance is unclear after a fallout with Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin
Sungai Manila is a new seat carved out of Sungai Sibuga. Majority of his supporters were moved to Sungai Manila in the redelineation exercise
EC bars non-official media from nomination centres9.45am: The Election Commission bars non-official media from all nomination centres in Sabah
In a note to the media, the EC says this is a measure with regard to Covid-19
"Media other than official government media (RTM, Bernama, Information Department and Finas) are not allowed into the nomination centres for all 73 state seats
"The media's cooperation is much appreciated," reads the note
PKR defector in Sabah coup to re-contest as independent9.30am: Dewan Masyarakat Manggatal - Kenny Chua, the incumbent Inanam assemblyperson who defected from PKR to support to a coup against the Warisan-led state government, makes an appearance
Chua, who was not fielded by either PN, BN or PBS despite supporting the coup against Warisan, is expected to re-contest the seat as an independent
Chua says he was initially supposed to contest under PBS but the plan did not materialise
The coup was masterminded by former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman but was foiled after Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal secured a dissolution of the state assembly, paving the way for fresh polls
Concerned about Covid-19, cops tell supporters to move9.15am: Dewan Serbaguna Libaran, Libaran - Sandakan district police chief Mohd Azhar Yakin orders a small crowd of around 20 supporters of various candidates in N50 Gum Gum, N51 Sg Manila and N52 Sungai Sibuga to move away from their gathering place opposite the nomination centre
"We are just worried since Tawau is already a red zone," he says
The supporters oblige and one of them quips that the bigger group of media personnel must also adhere to the same instruction
Azhar reminds the media to observe physical distancing and to keep their masks on, reiterating that only those with Election Commission assigned passes can stay in the area
Warisan's Junz Wong versus seven contenders9.15am: Dewan Jabatan Kerja Raya Sembulan, Kota Kinabalu - Warisan candidate and incumbent Junz Wong as well as Umno candidate Mohd Reduan Aklee arrive at the nomination centre
Photo: Junz WongThis means that the Tanjung Aru seat will see at least an eight-way tussle
Photo: Mohd Reduan AkleeThis includes a clash between Umno and PBS, which is friendly to Perikatan Nasional (PN) and BN
Around 11 other seats are expected to see clashes between PN, BN or PBS
As the nomination period is open from 9am to 10am, there is still time for more candidates to arrive
Muhyiddin: Set aside differences, focus on winning polls9.10am : Tuaran Town - Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin arrives to show his support for Bersatu Sabah chief Hajiji Noor, who is contesting in the Sulaman state seat
Addressing more than 500 supporters, he says the purpose of the different parties coming together and contesting in all 73 seats is to replace Warisan Plus as the next state government
"We met yesterday and all agreed to a consensus, we develop and we protect (Sabah),” he adds
He reminds all parties to set aside their differences and focus on winning the state polls to bring development to the state
He urges Bersatu and PN to work with its partners in BN
Muhyiddin also reminds the crowd to wear masks and observe physical distancing
After his speech, Muhyiddin leaves to visit a nearby fishing market whereas Hajiji, a seven-term Sulaman assemblyperson, heads to the nomination centre in Dewan Seri Sulamam Tuaran
Don't cause Covid-19 cluster - cops tell supporters9am: Semporna Community Hall, Semporna - The crowd outside the nomination centre swells to more than 100 people despite guidelines with regard to Covid-19
This is in part due to the nomination centre serving three constituencies - namely Sulabayan, Senallang and Bugaya
Most of them are BN and PN supporters as all three of their candidates have arrived
Police promptly advise the supporters to observe the Covid-19 guidelines
"We don't want a situation like what happened in Lahad Datu," says a police officer
He was referring to the Benteng Lahad Datu cluster which up to yesterday, recorded 170 Covid-19 cases
Semporna is around 150km from Lahad Datu
Shortly after, some 300 Warisan supporters turn up on the main road, a stone's throw away from the nomination centre, signalling that Warisan president Shafie Apdal may soon arrive. They chanted slogans and waved the Warisan flag but one party coordinator urged them not to display the flags
"Don't carry the flags, this is our president's advised," he says
Nomination rules do not allow candidates to bear party logos while in the nomination centre
10 minutes later, police also move in to advise the crowd to disperse. They comply with the directive
'Friendly fire' - PBS candidate expected to face Umno challenger8.50am: Dewan Jabatan Kerja Raya Sembulan, Kota Kinabalu - Umno is still expected to field a candidate in the Tanjung Aru seat which will clash with PBS’ candidate Yong Oui Fah
This is despite BN president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi saying yesterday they would resolve the seat clashes
“Yes... there are a lot of 'friendly' (fire) this time
“We are just following orders from the party,” Yong tells Malaysiakini, when asked if Umno is still expected to field a candidate for the seat
Currently, six candidates have arrived at the nomination centre from PBS, LDP, Usno, PGRS, Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) and an independent candidate
Warisan candidate Junz Wong and Umno candidate Mohd Reduan Aklee have yet to arrive
Wan Azizah accompanies Sabah PKR chief to nomination centre8.45am : Wisma Wanita, Kota Kinabalu - Former Sabah deputy chief minister, Christina Liew arrives at the nomination centre
This will be the fourth time the Sabah PKR chief will seek to defend her Api-Api seat
Among those present at the nomination centre are PKR advisor Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin and Kangar MP Noor Amin Ahmad, together with about 10 party supporters
Lecturer with a passion for fishery vies for Sg Manila seat8.35am: Dewan Serbaguna Libaran, Libaran - All three candidates from Warisan arrive at the nomination centre - Arunarnsin Taib (N50 Gum Gum), Mahmud Sudin (N51 Sg Manila) and Armani Mahiruddin (N52 Sg Sibuga)
Arunarnsin is the incumbent in Gum-Gum, while Mahmud and Armani are first time candidates for Warisan
Mahmud, a senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, says one of his focus areas is to develop the fishing community in Sg Manila
The Sg Manila native says fishery is one of his passions, having also been involved in teaching related matters at UMS
Meanwhile, Armani, a former Sungai Sibuga Umno Women member of 22 years, says the time has come for her to move to a Sabah-based party
She also holds the record for being the first woman appointed as Dewan Negara deputy speaker in 2009
Four candidates for Tanjung Aru seat arrive at nomination centre8.30am: Dewan Jabatan Kerja Raya Sembulan, Kota Kinabalu - Four candidates for the Tanjung Aru seat have arrived
They are Yong Oui Fah from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Rizawani Fiona Heng from Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS), Ibrahim Mohd Laiman Diki from Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and independent candidate Jan Chow
Umno and Warisan are also expected to field candidates but they have yet to arrive
Shafie's challenger from PN arrives8.25am: Semporna Community Hall, Semporna - A number of candidates have arrived at the venue, which is serving as the nomination centre for the Sulabayan, Senallang and Bugaya seats
This is considered a stronghold of incumbent Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal, who is expected to defend his Senallang seat
So far, PN candidates Mohd Daud Tampokong and Norazman Utoh Naim, who are representing Bersatu in Bugaya and Senallang respectively, have arrived
Photo: Mohd Daud TampokongPCS' Jihek Basanu is also present and is expected to join the race for Bugaya
Only a handful of supporters are present in line with the Covid-19 guidelines
Nomination centres will open at 9am
Shortly after, BN's Abdul Manan Indanan, who is representing Umno in Sulabayan arrives
He exchanges hugs with the two other PN candidates and also greets a group of supporters accompanying him to the nomination centrePhoto: Jihek BasanuTime for change, says LDP chief who aims to dethrone Sabah PKR chief8.22am: Wisma Wanita, Kota Kinabalu - LDP president Chin Su Phing, who is contesting for the Api-api seat has arrived at the nomination centre
"We hope the rakyat can vote for a local party, it is time for us to change," he said
Chin, who is making his election debut, added that LDP will contest 46 seats in total where half of it are JDM majority areas
Api-api is expected to witness a five-way tussle
The incumbent assemblyperson is Sabah PKR chief Christina Liew
Sabah Bersatu chief arrives at HQ, greeted by hundreds of supporters8.20am: Tuaran Town - Perikatan Nasional candidate for Sulaman, Hajiji Noor arrives at the Tuaran Bersatu headquarters, which is the gathering point for supporters
Clad in a red traditional Malay costume, the Sabah Bersatu chief greets some 400 supporters, who try their best to observe the one-metre physical distance rule
The supporters are seen holding PN flags, which make its debut in the state polls
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Bersatu president, will arrive later to lend his support to Hajiji, the seven-term Sulaman assemblyperson who won the seat under BN's ticket in the past
Hajiji is expected to be challenged by Rekan Hussien of PCS and Aliasgar Basir from Warisan
A total of 11,711 voters will vote in Sulaman, which is about a 30-minute drive from Kota Kinabalu
Earlier, a team of police officers conducted an inspection at a restaurant located below the Bersatu headquarters due to the prime minister's scheduled arrival
Gum Gum candidates arrive, including ex-Amanah leader8.10am: Dewan Serbaguna Libaran, Libaran - At least two potential contenders for the N50 Gum Gum seat have arrived
One of them is former Sandakan Amanah chief coordinator Jainudin Berahim, who is planning to contest on an LDP ticket. Amanah is officially only fielding one candidate in this election
Photo: Jainudin BerahimThe other is Undang Tumpong, 61, from Parti Cinta Sabah, a new party led by former foreign minister Anifah Aman, which has announced its intention to contest in all 73 seats
Photo: Undang TumpongCovid-19 SOP to prevent gatherings, marches8.10am: Dewan Jabatan Kerja Raya Sembulan, Kota Kinabalu - A handful of BN supporters are present in the vicinity of the nomination centre for the state seat of Tanjung Aru
The nomination process for the Sabah election is unlikely to see crowds as the Election Commission has released new guidelines as precautionary measures against Covid-19
This includes forbidding supporters from gathering and marching with the candidates to the nomination centre
The Tanjung Aru state seat is expected to see a clash between two PN allies, namely BN and PBS, barring any last-minute concessions
They will face Warisan. Other minor parties such as PGRS are also expected to join the fray
The Sabah state election campaign kicks off today with the nomination of candidates
There are 73 seats up for grabs, an increase from the previous 60 seats due to redelineation of electoral boundaries
Warisan, led by its president and incumbent chief minister Shafie Apdal, is seeking to defend its hold on the state government, along with allies Upko, DAP, PKR, and Amanah, who are collectively known as Warisan Plus
They are up against the coalitions of BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN), as well as Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS)
There will also be an array of local parties who will contest various seats, including Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) which plans to contest at least 70 seats
Today's nomination period will start at 9am and end one hour later at 10am. Polling day is on Sept 26 after a 14-day campaign period. - Mkini

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