KUALA LUMPUR: The 16th Sabah election is shaping up into a challenging contest despite the new norms brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus or not, the political temperature is steadily increasing at all 73 seats.
One seat which is fast capturing observers' attention is the Kiulu state seat which will see two prominent local sons going head to head against each other.
UPKO President Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau threw his hat into the ring and the former federal minister is taking on incumbent and PBS Information chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai in the traditional Kadazan-Dusun-Murut seat.
With more than 80 per cent of the voters comprising members of the Sabah ethnic community, the two political heavyweights will also have to face four others in a six-cornered fight comprising two independent candidates and one each from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS).
In the 2018 polls, Joniston retained the seat in a four-cornered fight with a 1,443-vote majority, a marked improvement from the 2013 outcome, which saw him scrape through with a mere 44-vote majority.
Apart from Madius, Joniston will also have to deal with independents Dominic Yasun and Jolianis Lampog as well as Andau Yasun @ Bruni (PCS); and Rozylyn @ Rosalyn Gelunu (LDP).
In the northernmost state constituency of Banggi, its former state assemblyman and former Marudu member of Parliament Datuk Amir Kahar Mustapha who previously represented Barisan Nasional (BN) is seeking to return to his former stomping grounds.
The move by the 70-year-old son of the late USNO founder and president Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun, is likely to stir things up in the usually quiet seat.
The political scion's calculated move to contest may be based on the fact that the incumbent, Mohammad Mohamarin from Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), won the seat in 2018 by a mere 379 votes, wresting the Umno seat from BN.
The mother of all fights however is taking place right in the heart of the state capital.
In one of the smallest state constituencies, the Api-Api state seat which only measures six-kilometre square metres will see one of the toughest fights with as many as three party leaders in the fray.
The seats incumbent and Sabah PKR Chief Datuk Christina Liew will face LDP President Chin Su Phin and will clash yet again with Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Deputy President Dr Yee Moh Chai.
Despite winning the seat with a 2,954-vote majority in the 2018 polls, Liew can ill afford to take it easy in the seat as her opponents, especially Dr Yee is well known in the state capital, having represented Api-Api for three terms as well as being a former representative of the Tanjung Aru seat and the Kota Kinabalu Parliamentary seat and as such is expected to provide a stiff fight against Liew as he did in the last two elections.
Liew is also involved in a nine-cornered fight for the seat which will include Lo Yau Foh (PPRS); Chong Tze Kiun (PGRS) as well as independents Marcel Jude, Ng Chun Sua and Sim Sie Hong.
In the nearby Tanjung Aru seat, it will be a re-match between Warisan incumbent Datuk Junz Wong and former assemblyman Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah of PBS.
Though the incumbent won the seat with a comfortable 4,610-vote majority in 2018, Wong will not find it easy to retain it as local issues especially that involving redevelopment have captured voters' attention.
The duo will not be alone in the fray as they will be joined in a nine-cornered fight by Mohd Reduan Aklee (BN), Noran Addy Sukiran (PCS); Shaffic Risaib Shah (USNO); Rizawani Fiona Heng (PGRS); Datuk Ibrahim Mohd Laiman Diki (LDP); and independent Jan Chow Yee Fah.
Meanwhile, Kemabong which comes under the Tenom Parliamentary seat is seeing a clash of former elected representatives. In the fray is former Tenom member of Parliament Datuk Raime Unggi (BN-Umno) who will face-off former assemblyman Datuk Rubin Balang who is contesting as an independent candidate this time around under the mangosteen logo.
The clash of the former Umno elected representatives is likely to ignite the contest in this Murut heartland. The duo, however, will not be alone as they will be accompanied by Lucas Umbul (UPKO); Tay Jin Kiong @ Alfred (PCS) Rainus Sagulau (USNO) and Juster Peter (LDP).
In the 2018 polls, the seat was won by BN through Jamawi Jaafar, who had defected to Warisan but switched allegiance back to BN before the dissolution of the state assembly on July 30.
The fact that the seat was won by 895 votes would add fuel to the fire on how close the fight is going to be especially among two former party colleagues.
Another intriguing fight is shaping up in Melalap, which will see a re-match between Warisan Vice-President Datuk Peter Anthony against PBS deputy president Datuk Seri Radin Malleh.
In the 2018 polls, the duo fought tooth and nail, only for the Warisan leader to eventually prevail by a whisker of 219 votes.
This time around the duo's continued ongoing rivalry will be accompanied by Aoiang Sausun (PCS); Sazali Justi (USNO), Masdin Tumas (LDP) and Jamawi Jaafar (BN_Umno) in a six cornered contest. It looks like the contest will likely go down to the wire.
The highlands of Kundasang which comes within the Ranau Parliamentary seat is also looking at a good fight shaping up, as PBS Vice-president and incumbent Datuk Dr Joachim Gunalam will have to face former Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Ewon Ebin.
The former Kundasang state assemblyman for three terms since 1985 is contesting under the PCS banner this time around.
In the 2018 polls, Dr Joachim was on thin ice when he scraped through in defending his seat by a mere 255 votes compared to 2013 when he won with a comfortable 1,975-vote majority in the Non-Muslim Bumiputra majority.
The clash between the incumbent and a former magistrate is going to be quite intriguing. Despite the battle for the seat boiling down to the duo, they nevertheless have company from Jeafry Goh Kautah (LDP); Siriman Basir (Warisan) and Osman Marajin (PGRS).
The other seat likely to see an interesting contest with the possibility of it swinging to the opposite direction is the Inanam seat.
The seat sees a veteran politician seeking to make a comeback, while a partyless incumbent is defending his seat as an independent candidate.
LDP founder and honourary party president Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat, former Kudat and Tanjong Kapor state assemblyman, is returning after a gap of 13-years.
It will also see Kenny Chua defending his seat as an independent which he won in the 2018 polls as a PKR candidate. PKR sacked Chua after he backed former Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman in a bid to topple the Warisan-Upko-PH state government led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
The other candidates in the 10-cornered fray are George Ngui (independent); Goh Fah Shun @ Francis Goh (PGRS); Peto Galim (PKR); Regina Lim @ How (PCS); William Majinbon (PBS); Mohd Hardy Abdullah @ Zoro Yukon (USNO); Achmad NoorAsyrul Noortaip (Independent); and Terence Tsen (Anak Negeri). In the 2018 polls, Chua won the seat by a 7,783-vote majority in a six-cornered fight.
Other seats likely to see interesting contests are Bongawan where PCS President Datuk Seri Musa Aman is looking at transitioning to the state from national-level politics. The former Foreign Minister will be involved in a three-cornered fight for the seat which comes under the Kimanis Parliamentary seat which he represented previously.
In the Bingkor seat, Star's Robert Tawik @ Nordin is seeking to do better than in 2018 when he scraped through with a 165-vote majority. He will be involved in a six-cornered fight for the seat which at one time was represented by Star president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
A combination of factors including the flare-up of Covid-19 is likely to see the 1.12 million voters be discerning in their choice of elected representatives.