The constituency, which encompasses 27 islands as well as the 570km Kinabatangan river, has always been a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold, with the opposition hardly making a dent. Bung Moktar Radin is the current MP.
For all his brashness in Parliament, to the point where he was accused of being sexist and a male chauvinist on more than one occasion, Bung Moktar remains a popular figure among the electorate.
This may be unfathomable to those who only know the man by watching parliamentary sessions on TV, but to his supporters and colleagues, Bung Moktar is someone who can be relied on for help with problems.
The four-term parliamentarian visits his constituency almost weekly so he can get close to the people, while juggling his role as Kinabatangan BN chairman and a father of four, including twin boys.
His wife, actress Zizie Ezette, said her husband’s commitment as an MP sometimes made him “forget” what she was doing, citing the example last year when she went to Germany with their daughter and he forgot which city they had gone to.
Since he became MP in 1999, Kinabatangan has seen much physical development although, due to its size, which is bigger than the state of Pahang, it is difficult to fully develop the area.
Eco-tourism is huge in Kinabatangan. The lower Kinabatangan-Segama wetlands, situated within the constituency, became the first Ramsar site in Sabah in 2008 and the largest in the country, covering three forest reserves.
But the main industry remains agriculture, specifically the oil palm industry with trees covering most of Kinabatangan’s fertile and vast flat lands.
More than 100,000 workers, mostly immigrants, work in the industry and live in the constituency, which explains how the constituency has a population of 180,000 but only 25,000 voters.
According to Bung, the BN government is second to none in terms of taking care of the people, but the size of the constituency is a challenge.
Among the issues in the constituency are wildlife-human conflicts, bad roads especially between Tongod in Kuamut and Pinangah in Sukau, low water pressure, and lack of jobs for local youths despite the tourism industry.
Nevertheless, Bung, who won the seat in the previous election after securing 13,377 votes and beating PKR candidate Abdullah Abdul Sani by a 9,731 majority, said he did not see BN facing any problem in defending his seat and the state seats under the constituency, Sukau and Kuamut.
He said he worked very closely with the two assemblymen – Saddi Abdul Rahman in Sukau and Masiung Banah in Kuamut – for the good of the electorate.
“BN is a party that fights for the people and we see for ourselves the development in Kinabatangan, which was once lagging far behind other districts in the state. Now, it has changed,” he said.
The opposition Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), however, feels the seats are no longer safe for BN, especially as some Umno members have switched camps.
Warisan president Shafie Apdal has many admirers in Kinabatangan, and at least 100 Umno members quit the party immediately after Shafie was suspended in 2016.
That number has since grown, although local coordinators say many are not ready to come out openly.
“People, especially the younger generation, now know that BN will promise one thing and deliver another. Young people especially in Tongod (Kuamut) are politically aware, especially about things such as the state’s rights, and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“This could play a big role in determining who they will vote for this election,” a local Warisan official who did not want to be named said.
About 52% of voters in Kinabatangan are non-Muslim Bumiputeras, mostly in the Kuamut state constituency, while Muslim Bumiputeras make up 42%, with others making up the balance 6%.