Kimanis A Litmus Test For Bn

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KIMANIS by-election will see a face-to-face contest between Barisan Nasional and Warisan (pro-Pakatan Harapan). BN's Datuk Mohamad Alamin and Warisan's Datuk Karim Bujang.Karim will seek revenge over his successor Alamin in the January 18 polling, which is described by many as a litmus test especially for BN and its newborn 'Muafakat Nasional' which bashed PH by 15,086 majority votes in Tanjung Piai by-election on November 16.Karim was a five-term assemblyman for Bongawan, four of which were with Umno, before he was dropped in favour of Alamin in 2013.This by-election was triggered by the election petition he filed alleging discrepancies in the vote casting process in Kimanis.In the 14th general election, former Umno minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman had won the seat with a narrow 156-vote majority, securing 11,942 votes against Karim’s 11,786 votes while another candidate, Jaafar Ismail of Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah, had obtained 1,300 votes.Anifah has pledged full support for BN's candidate, and recognising how popular the former foreign minister is with Kimanis voters, there is a brighter light shining on BN than on Warisan, which is also has proven successful in the last general election.This is the tenth by-election since the May 9 general election last year.The southwestern district of Kimanis has 29,664 registered voters. Of these, about 67 per cent are Muslim Bumiputera consisting of mostly Brunei Malay, 30 per cent are non-Muslim natives (mainly of KadazanDusun ethnic) and three per cent are Chinese and others.Kimanis consists of the Membakut and Bongawan state constituencies, both of which are held by ruling party representatives. Membakut is held by former Umno leader Datuk Ariffin Arif, now in Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, while Bongawan assemblyman is Warisan’s Dr. Daud Yusof.It is considered a semi-rural seat with rudimentary infrastructure.Now, BN needs to tackle the boiling issue, which is the bread and butter. As an Opposition now and nothing to offer, BN can rely on the issues of rising cost of living, the unfulfilled promises of PH and the lies that still shrouds the country about the actual economic situation.I remember a few days ago when Chief Minister Shafie Apdal said BN did not bring many development to Kimanis. I had a good laugh. What was he when he was Rural Development Minister under Najib's Cabinet? Knowing how 'Sabahan' he is, what did he do for Sabah?Two weeks was given for campaign. I am still for BN as it has proven that election promises are not the essence to win the voters' heart. We have seen that in Cameron Highlands, Semenyih, Rantau and Tanjung Piai.For BN, be more attentive to local issues.

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