KOTA KINABALU:
The coordination committee of UPKO P179 Ranau has repeated the call for incumbent Tan Sri Bernard Dompok to defend the Ranau parliamentary seat in the March 8 general election. The call was made yesterday by the party’s division, the Youth and Wanita as well as the Komulakan wing during a gathering to welcome the arrival of the UPKO president at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport here from Kuala Lumpur yesterday. They said the people of Ranau still needed the service of Dompok, particularly in continuing the development agenda that has been earmarked for the district under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. “If rumours that Tan Sri Dompok is contesting elsewhere, then the development programmes planned for Ranau will be jeopardised. “As such, we want him to come out and defend the Ranau seat in this coming election,” they said. Meanwhile, another incumbent, Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Lajim Haji Ukin, yesterday confirmed that he will defend the Klias state seat in the coming general election. Lajim who is also the Umno Beaufort division head, has represented the constituency since 1986. “I am ready to defend the Klias state seat if picked by the party leadership as a candidate,” he said. The former Deputy Chief Minister said this after launching the Beaufort Puteri UMNO information centre here yesterday. Before this, supporters from BN component parties had called on Lajim to contest the Beaufort parliamentary seat formerly held by the division’s Wanita head, Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun, who has been tipped to defend the seat.
