DR Jeffrey Kitingan is not taking the 16th Sabah election lightly, especially in defending his Tambunan seat, which is one of the 17 seats Barisan Nasional (BN) is contesting against its allies.

Jeffrey gained notoriety in the 2018 general election after beating his elder brother – the Huguan Siou or the paramount leader of the Kadazandusun community – Joseph Pairin Kitingan in the constituency that had been the latter’s stronghold since 1976.

Jeffrey’s party, Star, which won only two seats joined BN during the election and paved the way for the coalition to form the state government after BN and Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) were tied with 29 seats each in the 60-seat assembly.

Fast forward to today, the Star president is contesting in the state election under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) logo and will face off against ally Sylvernus Bruno of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), as well as Damian Richard Marcus Podtung (Parti Cinta Sabah-PCS), Dr Laurentius Nayan Ambu (Upko), Nordin Jaini Zaini (Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah) and singer Jimmy Palikat (independent).

Jeffrey has been on the campaign trail in the Kadazandusun Murut majority area with 16,511 voters.

“At one point, I had to stop the car and wait for a while as there were cows lying in the middle of the dirt road, in the dark,” he said about campaigning in Kg Magatang.

“I believe that I will win in this state election. The warm response and strong support are obvious despite being challenged by our own ally (PBS). It’s a good sign, we’ll see,” he said.

“The candidate and the party are equally important. The candidate reflects the struggle and the party leadership will translate the struggle into success.

“If we choose a bad candidate, the party will lose. So, both factors are important,” Jeffrey said.

Meanwhile, Laurentius said he was well aware of Jeffrey’s reputation, but being an underdog in the six-horse race did not dampen his spirit to campaign, trying his luck to win the seat and probably become a giantkiller himself.

“Throughout my campaign, the people’s reaction has been good and we have begun gaining momentum. With hard work and full support from the top leadership, success will be ours,” he said.

For Jimmy Palikat, who is popular with the song Anak Kampung, his fame has been a great help for him to get the voters’ attention in his campaign.

“I don’t think about winning or losing. I’m just serious in wanting to help the people. The young people want young horses, not just old ones. It’s not yet the end of the road, and I will keep on trying,” he said.

According to political analyst Dr Syahruddin Awg Ahmad, Jeffrey is most likely to win the seat, but not with a large majority due to the number of parties contesting. – Bernama, September 20, 2020.