Sabah polls: DAP takes Kemabong, hands Liawan to Umno, say sources

DAP Sabah is set to announce its full list of candidates today. Of particular note is the interior constituency, where the party has decided to contest the Kemabong seat under the Tenom parliamentary area. The candidate will be the former Member of Parliament for Tenom and current Senator Noorita Sual, who will once again represent Pakatan Harapan–DAP in this election.

According to sources, DAP had engaged in multiple rounds of discussions and negotiations with Umno (Barisan Nasional) over the past few months. As previously reported by the media, two state seats remained unresolved — both of which DAP had expressed strong interest in contesting: Liawan (Keningau) and Kemabong (Tenom).

Sources confirmed that after prolonged and extensive negotiations, it was finally agreed that Umno would contest Liawan while DAP would take Kemabong.

DAP insiders revealed that Sabah DAP chairman Phoong Jin Zhe had to make a tough decision, as the party has long established grassroots presence and has contested multiple elections in both Keningau and Tenom.

However, faced with the need to choose between the two, DAP ultimately opted for Kemabong based on winnability. Although this decision may cause discontent among grassroots members in Keningau, such situations are common in politics and often arise during seat negotiations before every election.

The source added that the decision was made purely based on data and electoral prospects. Despite DAP winning both Liawan and Kemabong during the 2022 General Election (GE15) contests for the Keningau and Tenom parliamentary seats, the upcoming state election is expected to be more complex, with more parties joining the fray — prompting DAP to prioritise Kemabong, where it stands a stronger chance.

This is partly because DAP’s candidate, Noorita, previously won the Tenom parliamentary seat in 2018 and narrowly lost in 2022. Nevertheless, she retained significant support, especially in her hometown of Kemabong. As the current Senator and former MP, her candidacy in Kemabong brings both strategic advantage and credibility — particularly since her opponent, Rubin, who has held sway over the area for decades, is currently mired in a corruption video scandal.

As for Keningau, while DAP’s withdrawal there is a painful concession, data shows that the party has been unsuccessful in consecutive elections for the Bingkor and Keningau seats in 2018, 2020, and 2022 — making the decision understandable and pragmatic.

In any case, given the multi-cornered contests expected across the interior region, an intense and unprecedented battle is anticipated. Notably, DAP will also be facing a candidate from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) in Kemabong.