Dr Roland Chia during a ‘walkabout’ in Inanam Town.
INANAM : – Datuk Dr Roland Chia Ming Shen is back hoping to recapture the Inanam seat, this time contesting as an Independent candidate.
The former political secretary to the Chief Minister, who was Inanam assemblyman from 2013 to 2018, resigned from the ruling Gagasan Rakyat on Nov 14 ‘to fullfil the wishes of his supporters’.
“The decision to stand as an independent is to respect the wishes of the people of N18 Inanam,” he said when met during one of his campaign’s walkabout.
Dr Chia will be one of the 13 candidates vying for the multi racial constituency.
Among them is incumbent Datuk Peto Galim of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and another ex assemblyman Datuk Kenny Chua of STAR.
Dr Chia was dropped as PKR candidate in the 2018 election, replaced by Kenny Chua.
Another notable candidates this election is Edna Jessica Majimbun who resigned as Kota Kinabalu Native District chief to contest on Warisan Ticket.
Dr Chua, although no longer an assemblyman, he remains a well-known figure in the Inanam constituency.
His entry as an independent candidate is expected to add a new dynamic to the contest for N18 Inanam, traditionally one of the more closely watched seats in any elections.
Asked why he decided to contest, Dr Chia said he wanted to :-
* share with the people of Inanam not just a vision,
but a belief, a belief that hope can rise again
* that rebuilding is possible
and that together, we can imagine a future brighter than anything we have known.
He said dreams do not come alive on their own. They awaken when people choose to stand up,
to speak out and to move forward with courage.
“And so, I invite all the people of Inanam to continue standing together to lift our voices,
and to build a future worthy of our highest hopes, ” he added.
Dr Chia further stressed that : * Together, we rise
* Together, we move our community forward
* Together, we shape the change we wish to see
* Together, we build a brighter tomorrow for our children.
In the ballot paper, Dr Chia’s symbol is a ‘House’.
