Kota Kinabalu: Dr Ritchie Jay Cheng is among five Gagasan Rakyat leaders who have left the party to contest as independents. He is in a nine-cornered race for the Tanjung Aru seat.
He said the decision came after assessing the party’s political direction.
He said his decision to run independently was driven by the desire to offer a political platform free from pressure and grounded in integrity and professional expertise.
He holds a Law degree from the University of London, a Postgraduate Diploma in Judicial and Syarie Practice, an MBA, and a PhD in Islamic Banking and Finance from Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
His experience as the Sabah Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association may be an edge in engaging Muslim communities, providing broader insight into social needs and community cohesion.
His vision for Tanjung Aru focuses on three key agendas: empowering youth, driving the blue economy, and creating job opportunities through strategic collaboration with the private sector and educational institutions.
“Tanjung Aru is full of exceptional young talent. They need real platforms to grow, not seasonal promises,” he said.
He emphasised that his status as an independent candidate gives him the freedom to work with any party without compromising the interests of the people.
“I am not bound by party directives. I am bound only by the trust of the people,” he said.
The number of Independent candidates contesting in the 17th Sabah State Election rose to 74, compared to 56 in the previous state election in 2020.
Their number surpassed other political parties in Sabah. A total of 596 candidates submitted their nominations.
Among those politicians contesting as independent candidates are Kudat Member of Parliament Datuk Verdon Bahanda, who is contesting the Tanjong Kapor seat, and former Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS) Youth Chief Datuk Fairuz Renddan, who is contesting the Pintasan seat.
Petagas Assemblyman and PGRS Division Chief Datuk Awang Ahmad Sah Sahari, who is defending the seat, former Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) Youth chief Jordan Jude Ellron, who is contesting in Tulid, and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (PHRS) deputy president Datuk Rina Jainal, who is the incumbent Kukusan Assemblywoman.
Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) emerged as the political party that fielded the largest number of candidates, totalling 73, while Parti Impian Sabah (PIS) has 72 candidates.
Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is fielding 53 candidates, and 45 candidates are contesting on the Barisan Nasional ticket.
Perikatan Nasional (PN) is contesting in 42 seats, while Pakatan Harapan (PH) is contesting 22 seats.
While some aspiring to be candidates took the deicison not to be fielded in their stride, others reacted by standing as independents.
Abu Bakar Gapar accepted Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s (GRS) decision not to nominate him for the Lamag seat.
“Politics is about struggle. Don’t be anxious, don’t be uneasy. We must focus on our goals, our mission and vision to defeat our opponents,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.
GRS is fielding Johainizamshah Johari as its candidate in the six-cornered fight for the Lamag seat, which was previously held by Sabah Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
However, Jordan decided to contest even without a party.
Fairuz, who is the incumbent assemblyman of Pintasan, said his decision to contest as an independent was driven not only by personal integrity but also by his commitment to uphold the spirit of the young people of Sabah.
