Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with Pakatan Harapan candidate Awang Husaini Sahari at a campaign stop in Petagas.
PUTATAN: Pakatan Harapan’s candidate for Petagas, Awang Husaini Sahari, would have a “direct line” to the prime minister if elected, voters were told today.
Emphasising that representation that is aligned with the federal government will ensure faster solutions for local issues, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Petagas residents would gain from closer Putrajaya-Sabah coordination if they chose Awang Husaini as their assemblyman.
“If Awang Husaini wins in Petagas, he will have a direct line to me. The others will have to wait,” he said at a campaign stop in Petagas.
Anwar reminded voters that independent candidates would struggle to secure assistance for constituency problems.
“If an independent wins, who will he contact? These are the people’s problems – who will help?” he said.
Anwar highlighted several projects already underway in Sabah, saying they came from strong federal-state cooperation rather than election promises.
He cited the solution to the water supply woes, saying it was already being implemented.
“We have started work on the water issue. Most of Sabah’s water problems will be resolved next year. This is not an election promise – this project has already started and will be completed next year,” he said.
In the 10-cornered contest for Petagas, Awang Husaini is facing his brother Awang Ahmad Sah Sahari, who is defending the seat as an independent after not being fielded by Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
Awang Ahmad won the seat for Warisan in 2020 with a narrow majority of 261 votes in a six-cornered fight. He later defected to Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah.
The others in the race are Dr Afifi Saif (Perikatan Nasional), Jason Lee (Upko), Uda Sulai (Warisan), Annita Shiela F Among (STAR), Adelaide Cornelius (KDM), Aslin Samat (Parti Impian Sabah), Sabrezani Sabdin (Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri) and independent Patrick Manius.
Awang Ahmad had previously said GRS would allow him to defend his seat, but the coalition later made way for PH to field Awang Husaini as part of an electoral pact for the Nov 29 polls.
