Retired cop pledges to end sufferings of Bongawan people
KOTA KINABALU:
Incumbent Bongawan assemblyman Datuk Karim Bujang is in for a fight with his former believer Lusin Balangon. The 56- year-old ex-policeman who signed the nomination form on Feb 24 under the Parti Barisan Rakyat Sabah (Bersekutu) ticket after losing faith with the ruling coalition and Karim, will be fighting for the State seat with two other opponents namely Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s Ag Wash Ag Yahya and Md Hans Md Tahir (independent). “He (Karim) has served in Bongawan for 18 years but unfortunately, he has done little to improve the constituents’ well-being. “I believe the people are smart enough to think and are tired of being fooled by all the broken promises. He has been given enough time to prove himself but nothing is done to improve the Bongawan people’s socio-economy,” said Lusin who retired from the police force after 33 years in service. He added that Karim is not contesting against the opposition, but is rather fighting for the seat with his own people. “I have lived in Bongawan almost all my life. He (Karim) is not against the opposition. He is fighting with me, his own constituent ... the people will decide which better leader to choose come March 8,” he said while campaigning at Kampung Kayau in Papar. He said when he was a policeman, he was exposed to the people’s problems such as bad road conditions and other facilities. “I had served the people during my service as a policeman. Now that I have retired, I would like to continue helping the public because I understand the problems which are the same I faced under the Barisan Nasional’s governance,” he said. Lusin pointed out his decision to contest is not for fun. “I was planning to take a break after retiring from the police force, but with the encouragement from my wife, five children and villagers, I could not resist but to continue serving for the good of the people,” he said, pledging to end the constituents’ sufferings. Lusin said there was nothing he would do to fish for votes but hope the people would be able to decide themselves this Saturday. “You are the ones who will decide. If you want things to change, vote for the right person,” he said. Lusin had also started campaigning in several villages in Bongawan and had even visited the BN’s base. “I believe that to be a good leader, one should not be picky. That is why I went to the BN base to get to know them better, after all they are also voters,” he said.
