Idris: I am not BN’s man for Ba’Kelalan

BN yesterday announced its list of 70 candidates for the polls but left a poser over the Ba'kelalan candidate, prompting many to speculate it could be Idris.

KUCHING: Idris Jala today personally put an end to speculation that he is the “mystery candidate” for the Ba’Kelalan constituency whose name the Barisan Nasional (BN) has yet to announce for the April 16 Sarawak state election.
“I won’t be involved in the election. I know the speculation in the press that I could be the “mystery” candidate.
“I can confirm categorically I’m definitely not standing for election,” the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department told Bernama via SMS here today.
BN yesterday announced its list of 70 candidates for the polls but left a poser over the Ba’Kelalan candidate.
Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Information chief Adenan Satem who announced the list said the Ba’Kelalan candidate would only be revealed just before nomination day on Wednesday.
Adenan told the media that the candidate would remain a “mystery” for now and refused to say if Idris was the “mystery man”.

The Borneo Post newspaper today quoted Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president William Mawan as saying: ” The candidate remains a secret. The prime minister is aware of that and he will ensure that the BN will field the right candidate”.
The Ba’Kelalan seat in the remote Baram district bordering Indonesia’s West Kalimantan region is one of eight seats allocated to SPDP, one of the four component parties in the state BN.
A total of 71 seats are up for grabs in the election.
Not interested in politics
Idris, who is the minister in charge of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), in his SMS to Bernama also ruled out the possibility of him running for a parliamentary seat in the next general election.
“When I finish my job (at the PM’s Department) I will return to a normal corporate job. No hassle,” he added.
Idris was managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of national carrier Malaysia Airlines when he was appointed to the cabinet in 2009.
He is also CEO of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) set up under the PM’s Department to monitor several aspects of the National Key Result Areas (NKRAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for various ministries.
Earlier today Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud also refused to comment when asked who would be BN’s candidate for Ba’Kelalan.
PKR had named its Sarawak chief Baru Bian, who is also a prominent native rights lawyer, for the seat.
- Bernama