PETALING JAYA: Sabah Umno tonight said that Naim Kurniawan met the three prerequisites to be named as Barisan Nasional’s candidate for the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election next month.
The party’s state chief, Jafry Ariffin, said the three requirements were: organisation legitimacy, grassroots acceptance and the ability to serve the constituents, Bernama reported.
“He was chosen based on these considerations,” Jafry was quoted as saying.
He also said that Naim’s candidacy wasn’t based on symbolism. Naim is the son of the late Bung Moktar Radin who had been the MP for Kinabatangan since 1999.
Earlier today, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed Naim as the coalition’s candidate.
The Kinabatangan seat, along with the Lamag state seat fell vacant following Bung’s death on Dec 5.
Bung won the Lamag state seat in the 2020 state election before retaining it in the Nov 29 Sabah polls.