Kinabatangan By-Election: Mohd Naim Kurniawan Fulfills Three BN Candidate Prerequisites

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 20 (Bernama) -- Kinabatangan UMNO Youth chief Mohd Naim Kurniawan Moktar fulfills three vital prerequisites to be Barisan Nasional’s (BN) candidate for the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election.

Sabah UMNO liaison committee chairman Datuk Jafry Ariffin listed the three prerequisites as organisation legitimacy, grassroots acceptance and the ability to carry the voters’ mandate and that Mohd Naim Kurniawan’s fulfilment of the prerequisites were important as continuity of leadership within the framework of political science did not revolve around blood relations only.

“He (Mohd Naim Kurniawan) was chosen on considerations of party institution, grassroots support and carries the continued struggle translated through service and not mere symbolism.

“The Kinabatangan by-election isn’t an individual test, but a test of political instiutional stability, voters’ trust and BN’s ability to retain a development mandate in a chllenging and strategic area,” he said in a statement today.

Jafry, who is also Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, said that Sabah UMNO welcomed the step and it would stand strong, united and focused to ensure the voices of Kinabatangan residents are championed in a principled manner.

BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed Mohd Naim Kurniawan as the coalition’s candidate for the Kinabatangan by-election today following the death of its incumbent Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin on Dec 5. Bung Moktar also won the Lamag state seat during the 17th Sabah state election on Nov 29.

The Election Commission has set Jan 24, 2026 as polling day for both the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election and the Lamag state by-election, with nominations on Jan 10 and early voting on Jan 20.

-- BERNAMA