Incumbent Joniston Bangkuai is confident his development record in Kiulu will outweigh political rhetoric as he faces seven challengers in the Sabah state election.
TUARAN: Kiulu incumbent Datuk Joniston Bangkuai expressed high confidence in maintaining voter support for himself and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) ahead of Saturday’s state election.
He emphasised that his performance record outweighs political rhetoric, noting encouraging campaign responses demonstrate public recognition of the state government’s development efforts in Kiulu.
“Each candidate offers promises, but as the incumbent, I am simply continuing what we have already done and what is currently in progress,” he told reporters after a campaign event attended by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
Joniston stated that many promises made by opponents are already being implemented, with Kiulu residents increasingly aware of significant development since GRS took administration five years ago.
“If they want to talk about agricultural roads, developing agriculture—everything is already underway. They are only beginning to talk about these matters, while I am already implementing everything they are mentioning,” he said.
He dismissed sentiment politics claiming GRS colludes with a Peninsular Malaysia party, asserting that “the people want to hear what we can do to help them, not the playing of sentiments”.
His main focus remains advancing Kiulu’s economy through tourism, agriculture and rural development potential.
Regarding local party competition, he described GRS as the most effective platform for uniting local parties, citing proven capability in securing greater revenue for Sabah through negotiation-based approaches.
These tangible outcomes demonstrate that firm, structured negotiations provide clear returns for Sabahans, he added.
The Kiulu seat features eight candidates contesting for 17,191 voters.
