MEMBAKUT: The campaign trail for Kimanis by-election enters its eight day today, with Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) and Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates reaching out to restaurant patrons and marketgoers at the Pekan Bongawan near here yesterday.
Campaigners from both parties were having ceramahs with Bongawan folk, and candidates Datuk Karim Bujang of Warisan and Datuk Mohamad Alamin of BN were under constant spotlight.
Karim, when met, said his campaign's momentum had picked up over the last few days and his people were in high spirits.
"Like a cold engine of a car, our momentum needs to be warmed up to get it up and running. So far we have received great response form the ground. Wherever I go, the crowd is there.
"We see this as a good sign. Moreover, we feel as if we are getting the upper hand because our friends from Pakatan Harapan are also assisting us," he said.
Speaking on his wishlist for Kimanis, he said the constituency was still lacking employment opportunity despite Kimanis being known for oil and gas.
Karim said establishing downstream processing would be his priority to create more jobs.
On whether he was concerned that the issue of the Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) played by opposition could affect his win, the former five-term Bongawan assemblyman said it was for the people to decide.
"(The PSS) is just one of the solutions (to immigrant issues) and it's better than doing nothing. The presence of more than half a million illegal immigrants is not caused by Warisan government after being in power for 19 months.
"Even (former Kimanis MP) Datuk Seri Anifah Aman's presence to assist BN does not bother me. After all, I was a veteran politician in BN for so long and I know them like the back of my hand.
"Umno's glory is in the past. It is best remembered as a good memory," he said, while questioning Mohamad's contribution to Bongawan when he replaced Karim as the assemblyman in 2013 general election.
Karim said he had built schools and presented ideas to boost tourism for the Bongawan people, rubbishing claims that he failed to bring development when he was the assemblyman from 1990 to 2013
"During my tenure, one of the contributions I made was building schools to accommodate the rising number of students.
"I've never become a full minister, just an (state) assistant minister in the finance and tourism ministries for 15 years.
“I came up with ideas to build shelters for swiftlet and fireflies sightseeing at Binsulok to boost tourism there," he said.
Meanwhile, Mohamad said by winning the Kimanis by-election, he hoped to send a clear message to the government about people’s dissatisfaction with the way things are.
"I have gone in and out of villages many times, and the people agreed to make this by-election a sort of referendum. We want to send a message to the government that the people are suffering and angry. Many forms of assistance have been being reduced or stopped.
"The PSS is not a rhetoric issue, not something we created. It's a reality because the people are talking about it. So we must express our objection against PSS by winning Kimanis," he said.
At the same time, Mohamad said they would continue to fight for the rights and interest of people in Kimanis, and Sabah in general.
"We will fight to uphold the Malaysian Agreement 1963 (MA63) and I will press the government to fulfil what has been agreed under MA63," he added.