He won the Matunggong state seat on a PKR ticket but left the party in 2013 to become a pro-BN independent.
In GE13, Jelani won Matunggong with a narrow 320-vote majority in a four-cornered fight.
KOTA KINABALU: With the 14th general election (GE14) drawing near, focus has shifted to independent assemblyman Jelani Hamdan, who says he will decide which party to join in three weeks.
Jelani, who announced his decision to leave PKR in 2013, has been a pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) independent representative ever since.
He won the Matunggong state seat on a PKR ticket, and speculation is rife on which party he will now sign up with.
“I will make my decision on which party to join at the end of January or early next month,” Jelani told FMT.
“Which party or side of the political divide I will join is not important.
“People in the constituency do not look at the party. Rather, they will consider the person contesting in the area.”
In the last election, Jelani won Matunggong with a narrow 320-vote majority in a four-cornered fight with his closest competitor being BN’s Sarapin Magana.
He said BN should field a likeable candidate in his constituency instead of following the quota system which favours local component PBS for the seat.
“BN is actually not safe in Matunggong. Due to PBS’ parliamentary and state quota, it could lose in the upcoming election, both at the parliament and state levels if it contests here.
“For BN to win, it should field a candidate who can win, regardless of the party he’s representing.
“The strength of BN and the opposition is quite equal in this area. The opposition tends to bank on the party’s strength, too, instead of the individual’s,” Jelani said.
The Matunggong state constituency is within the Kota Marudu parliamentary area, held by acting PBS president Maximus Ongkili.
Ongkili was Bandau MP for two terms from 1995 to 2004. When the constituency was renamed Kota Marudu, he won during the elections held in 2004, 2008 and 2013.
Ongkili won his seat in the last election with a slim 802-vote majority, with Maijol Mahap of PKR trailing close behind.
Jelani said Ongkili had “overstayed” in his constituency. He reiterated his call for the individual’s strength, not the party’s, to be considered as the main factor in fielding a candidate in both the parliament and state constituencies.
“For BN to win, it should field a candidate who can win and who is not a ‘yes man’. He must not be a proxy for someone else like Ongkili.
“According to a survey, that ideal person must be a local in the area, a hands-on problem solver and one who cares about Sabah’s rights, like those under the Malaysia Agreement 1963, which I also support.”
According to Jelani, BN is not short of such personalities.
“From my observation, Umno and PBS have many good candidates to field in the areas,” he said.
“I won’t name them to avoid friction between them but Umno has a few candidates with one the most outstanding while PBS has two good choices.
“These people get along well with all leaders and I’ll even support them if they’re fielded.”
PBS initially didn’t want Malajad in BN
Malajad won the Kadamaian state seat on a PKR ticket but then decided to leave the opposition party.
Another former “independent” assemblyman, Jeremy Malajad, threw in his lot with BN component PBRS.
Malajad had won the Kadamaian state seat on a PKR ticket but then decided to leave the opposition party.
He joined PBRS in 2014 amid objections from local BN component, PBS.
PBS secretary-general Johnny Mositun said the decision to admit Malajad was made without the consensus of BN component parties.
He was also dissatisfied with Malajad’s election as PBRS Kadamaian chief, saying party president Joseph Kurup should have brought the matter up for discussion in the BN supreme council.
“The sentiments against PBRS accepting me as its member were quite strong around 2014 when I joined the party,” Malajad told FMT.
“But now I think it’s not as bad because relations between us are good.
“Division and youth leaders from Umno, PBRS and PBS are always participating together in walkabouts in Kadamaian.
“I think our chances to win in the area again are bright because we are united now.
“The opposition, namely Pakatan Harapan and Gabungan Sabah, is hugely split.”
Malajad said even Umno, which is BN’s backbone, had not opposed his jump to PBRS.
“There were strong objections from PBS to Kurup okaying me as a member but Umno didn’t oppose the decision.
“In fact, BN components like Umno and Upko welcomed the decision. Umno’s assemblyman in the neighbouring Usukan constituency, Salleh Said Keruak, was also positive about it.”
Malajad said he would leave it to BN’s top leadership to decide whether he would be allowed to defend his seat.
“It is normal practice in BN that each party, including PBRS, will propose candidates for the election in this constituency. Hopefully, my name will be included,” he said.
“But what’s important is that there’s good cooperation among BN components, such as Upko, PBRS and Umno.
“Whether I’ll eventually be a candidate is up to the top BN leadership to decide.”
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Sumber Independent Jelani Hamdan to decide which Sabah party to join