Intense battle lies ahead for Merotai
Sarifuddin (left) and Ruji
KOTA KINABALU (June 22): The Merotai State Assembly seat is considered one of the 'hot' seats attracting attention in the 17th Sabah State Election due to the emergence of a prominent figure rumored to contest in this stronghold of the Warisan party.
Merotai has gained attention of late as a secretary-general of a ministry from the Madani government is said to be on the list of potential candidates that PKR, a member of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, is expected to promote, which has gone viral on social media.
In a list described by some PH supporters as 'fake news', the local from Tawau, Datuk Ruji Ubi, the secretary-general of the Ministry of Unity, is rumored to be the candidate against the incumbent Merotai representative, Sarifuddin Hata, from Warisan.
According to several local political observers, if the viral predictions are accurate, it could be part of PKR or PH's strategy to gain support and trust, especially among the people in the eastern part of Sabah.
'It is going to be a tough fight and interesting,' they said.
However, Ruji, in his latest social media post, did not provide any indication or comment regarding this possibility, simply stating:
'For your information, starting today (June 21, 2025), I have retired. I chose to retire early at the age of 55. I want to return to Tawau to 'farm',' Ruji said in jest.
Ruji, who is a former chief executive officer of the Eastern Sabah Security Command, made this statement in response to a question from a netizen about whether he might enter politics after announcing his retirement from public service.
Before his last appointment, Ruji also served as the secretary-general of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Education.
In the 2020 state election, Sarifuddin won the Merotai seat with a majority of 1,587 votes
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