The BN candidate for the Batu Sapi parliamentary by-election will be announced on Sunday, Chief Minister Musa Aman said.

Musa, who is Sabah BN chairperson, said that as the operations director for the by-election, he and PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is the deputy operations director, would make the announcement at a joint news conference to be attended by other BN component leaders.

Speaking to reporters after chairing a meeting with Sabah BN leaders at the chief minister's official residence in Sri Gaya, Kota Kinabalu, Musa said the meeting agreed to let PBS to propose the name of the BN candidate, which would then be forwarded to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is BN chairperson.

"They have also given their undertaking to me that they will fully support the BN's candidate. God willing, Sabah BN is confident of retaining the seat given our service to the people all this while.

"We are also confident that the people will continue to support the BN, even more so now with the '1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now' approach, with leaders going to the ground to serve the people," he said.

azlan Yesterday, Pairin indicated the likelihood of BN fielding a candidate from the Chinese community.

Musa said that although he and state Umno leaders would be involved in the Umno general assembly in Kuala Lumpur from tomorrow, it would not affect the BN's preparation for the by-election.

He said that the BN's machinery would be mobilised to face the by-election, galvanising the strength of all component parties.

"In the spirit of consensus and cooperation, the Sabah BN election machinery will be mobilised to rally the people's support and ensure victory to the BN," he said.

On the announcement by parties that they would field their candidates in the by-election, Musa said: "It is up to them if they want to contest. What is important is that we in the BN are united to face this by-election."

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) is among parties which had announced intention to contest in the by-election, which is called following the death of its incumbent MP Edmund Chong Ket Wah of PBS in a road accident nearly two weeks ago.

- Bernama