BN has support to retain all Ranau seats – chairman

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RANAU: The Ranau Barisan Nasional (BN) will have no problem in defending the Ranau parliamentary seat and the state seats of Paginatan, Karanaan and Kundasang if the outcome of their election dry run early this year is any indication.

Its chairman, Datuk Dr Ewon Ebin, who is also Paginatan assemblyman, said the result of the mock election showed that 21,974 or 63 percent of the overall 35,177 voters here are still supporting the BN.

He said only 2,192 voters supported the opposition, while 7,738 were made up of fence-sitters, and the rest of the voters are still uncertain.

“The outcome of the election dry run shows the voters support towards the BN is still intact and we will be able to deliver the seats with ease during the 13th general election,” Ewon, who also is the Minister of Rural Development, said after chairing the Ranau BN meeting here yesterday.

Also present were Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun, who is Karanaan assemblyman, Ranau member of parliament Datuk Siringan Gubat, Kundasang assemblyman Dr Joachim Gunsalam and other senior leaders from BN component parties, namely Umno, PBS, Upko, PBRS and MCA.

According to the results of the dry run, some 7,151 of the 11,712 voters in Kundasang supported the BN, while 7,536 of the 11,718 voters in Karanaan were also with BN and 7,827 of the 11,747 voters in Paginatan were also with the ruling coalition.

“The unity among the members of the BN component parties here ramains strong.

“Starting from now a concerted effort to identify and woo the fence-sitters will be done through the field and house to house visits and increase programs for the young voters,” Ewon added.