Kukusan: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) candidate for the Kukusan state seat, Samsiah Usman, has pledged to champion women’s empowerment in the constituency if elected in the 17th Sabah State Election (PRN).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Samsiah, from Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat), a GRS component party, said initiatives would include creating economic opportunities and skills training, particularly for homemakers. She emphasized the importance of giving homemakers the chance to engage in small-scale entrepreneurship, allowing them to run businesses and supplement household income while caring for their children at home.
Samsiah highlighted the potential to strengthen the women’s economy in Kukusan by helping them improve skills such as sewing, cooking, and handicrafts. Welfare initiatives, especially for single mothers, will also be prioritized. She stated that Harapan Rakyat and GRS are committed to bringing a new era to Kukusan with ongoing programs since the start of the term, not just during election campaigns.
She also pointed to various initiatives like the Sabah Maju Jaya housing scheme and the gazetting of Kampung Sri Menanti, Kampung Airport Lama, Kampung Hilltop, and Kampung Sentosa Blok 5. These efforts have led to upgraded community halls, village roads, and drainage, benefiting the residents.
Samsiah’s development agenda includes opening new industries to create more jobs for local youth, who otherwise have to migrate to Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu. Residents like Aminah Palawe, a 53-year-old homemaker from Kampung Barisan, expressed hopes that the winning candidate will focus on infrastructure improvements, including repairing roads and building community halls, while supporting women’s skills and entrepreneurship programs.
Meanwhile, 28-year-old Sahila Mohiibe urged the elected representative to create more job opportunities in Kukusan and ensure essential services, including uninterrupted clean water supply. Samsiah is facing a 10-cornered contest, including incumbent Rina Jainal, who is running as an independent after winning the seat on the Warisan Plus ticket in the 2020 state election.
The Kukusan state constituency, with 19,225 registered voters, is one of the state seats under the Kalabakan parliamentary seat, along with Tanjung Batu. Early voting is scheduled for Nov 25, with polling on Nov 29.