KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Anifah Aman will not be defending his Kimanis parliamentary seat in the by-election next month.
The former Umno leader turned independent said he would, however, contest the Kimanis seat in the 15th General Election.
He said the decision to not contest was an emotional one for him.
“I reaffirm my belief that the carelessness of the Election Commission (EC) caused undue inconvenience to the rakyat in Kimanis and unwise expenditure of taxpayers’ money.
“In the days ahead, I will be focusing my efforts on uniting the various political forces in the state to work for what is right for the people of Sabah.
“The challenges facing the state of Sabah and the country are numerous and if not addressed properly, will threaten the security and well-being of the state and country.
“The people of Sabah deserve better,” he said in a statement today.
Anifah said it was an honour to have been given the opportunity to serve the Kimanis constituents during his three-terms as MP.
“I endeavoured to perform to the best of my abilities to bring development to the people of Kimanis, irrespective of their political ideologies and racial backgrounds.
“As a foreign minister of Malaysia for nine years, I took pride in representing Sabah and Malaysia, walking tall among world leaders at the numerous meetings,” he said.
Touching on the Federal Court decision on the status of the seat, Anifah said he accepted the court’s decision even though he strongly disagreed with it.
He singled out the EC’s failure to appeal the Federal Court decision.
“As a victim of the ineptitude and carelessness of the Election Commission, I, on the advice of my lawyers, will institute legal proceedings against the EC for damages in the days ahead,” he added.
The Kimanis by-election is being held after the Federal Court on Dec 1 upheld the Special Election Court’s decision in August last year which nullified Anifah’s victory in the GE14.
The EC has announced Jan 18 as polling day for the Kimanis parliamentary seat by-election. Nomination day falls on Jan 4 while early voting will take place on Jan 14.