KOTA KINABALU: Being part of the Bahanda family may give Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan) Women's Chief Datuk Redonah Bahanda an advantage, but she insists it is not the sole factor in her bid to contest a seat.
Redonah, who also serves as the political secretary to the Sabah chief minister, acknowledged that her family's legacy provides an edge but emphasised that her long-standing political career is the key reason she is considering contesting for the Bandau seat in the upcoming state elections.
"I do not deny that being part of the Bahanda family gives me a privilege, but that is not 100 percent the reason why I want to contest.
"The main reason is that I have been in the political arena for so long, since 2002," she told the media at a Chinese New Year celebration at a hotel here.
KOTA KINABALU: Being part of the Bahanda family may give Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan) Women's Chief Datuk Redonah Bahanda an advantage, but she insists it is not the sole factor in her bid to contest a seat.
Redonah, who also serves as the political secretary to the Sabah chief minister, acknowledged that her family's legacy provides an edge but emphasised that her long-standing political career is the key reason she is considering contesting for the Bandau seat in the upcoming state elections.
"I do not deny that being part of the Bahanda family gives me a privilege, but that is not 100 percent the reason why I want to contest.
"The main reason is that I have been in the political arena for so long, since 2002," she told the media at a Chinese New Year celebration at a hotel here.
That same year, first-time candidate Verdon, running as an independent, won against veteran politician Datuk Seri Ruddy Awah from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.
Beyond the Bahanda family, political family ties have influenced voter acceptance of candidates in Sabah, including the Kitingan family in Keningau, the Kurup family in Pensiangan, the Lasimbang family in Penampang, and former Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal's family on the east coast.
Meanwhile, Redonah reaffirmed her commitment to increasing women's representation in decision-making roles, advocating for 30 percent participation.
For Gagasan, she had proposed four candidates, including herself.
Despite growing up in Matunggong, Redonah stated that she would not contest that seat, as the incumbent, Datuk Julita Majungki of Parti Bersatu Sabah, is also a woman.
"Our aim is to increase the number of women representatives, not to reduce them by competing against one another.
"This time, during the election, we will take a different approach in mobilising our women's machinery.
Instead of engaging with strangers, they will focus on influencing their own family members and people close to them," she said, adding that Gagasan's election machinery consists of about 24,000 people.
As for the proposed collaboration between GRS and other parties, Redonah said it is best to leave the decision to the party's leadership.
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