BN agrees to contest 40 seats, remaining 33 for Pakatan in Sabah polls, says Umno leader

The Star

01-05-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional has agreed to contest 40 seats in the 17th Sabah election, while the remaining 33 seats will be allocated to Pakatan Harapan, says state Umno information chief Datuk Suhaimi Nasir.
He said discussions on the political alliance between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan are ongoing and remain a key focus for the party.
'We are using a formula where incumbent seats remain with the party currently holding them, and we consider which coalition or party commands stronger grassroots support in each constituency,' Suhaimi told reporters in a meeting with selected media houses recently.
He said the direction of Barisan-Pakatan cooperation was agreed upon during Sabah Umno's retreat in Penang last year, which was aligned with the federal-level unity government structure.
Suhaimi further elaborated that the coalition is not entirely closing its doors to other parties, but emphasised that any collaboration with other parties should be done selectively and cautiously.
'We are not ruling out discussions with other parties. The door isn't closed, but we're not completely opening it to everyone either,' he added.
Considering GRS is currently part of the state government, Suhaimi said it is up to Sabah Pakatan to decide on further cooperation, while Barisan maintains its focus on Pakatan.
'Even though it's currently GRS-Pakatan Plus, it depends on Pakatan whether they want to continue talks with Barisan-Pakatan-GRS after this government term ends.
'But for us, the way forward remains as Barisan-Pakatan,' he said.
Among matters in focus, he said, are the seat distribution formula that respects incumbency and gauges party support across constituencies.
On April 13, Sabah Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin also confirmed collaboration with Sabah Pakatan for the upcoming state election.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, however, said no official decision had been made regarding the Sabah-level cooperation between the two coalitions for the upcoming state election.
Loke clarified that matters relating to the cooperation would be discussed thoroughly in an official meeting involving both coalitions at a later date.
Despite ongoing challenges, Sabah Barisan believes it has strong momentum and public backing to return as the backbone of the state government in the coming state election.
Suhaimi said that the current public sentiment, especially among younger voters, displayed a growing disillusionment with the state government's performance and a renewed openness to Barisan's leadership.
He elaborated that Barisan's defeat in 2018 was not due to electoral defeat, but because of widespread party-hopping by elected representatives after the polls.
He added that recent voter dissatisfaction is driven by ongoing infrastructure issues, such as poor roads, inconsistent water supply and frequent electricity disruptions across rural and urban areas.
'Roads, water issues and power outages continued even during Ramadan. These failures are not just about services, but reflect poor governance overall,' Suhaimi said.
He also criticised recent announcements, such as state-backed insurance assistance, describing them as a 'bait' to the public that fails to resolve long-standing community concerns and frustrations.
'There are complaints about these offers from the state. The public sees them as bait, not genuine efforts to improve their lives,' he shared.
As such Umno and Barisan were given better consideration from the younger voters in recent years, said Suhaimi.
'I have witnessed that voters between the ages of 20 to 30 are evaluating their political choices more critically, following the lack of meaningful government action and direction.
When asked about the MCA secretary-general's Chong Sin Woon's claims that MCA declining support was due to the Barisan's alliance with Pakatan, Suhaimi said the party needs to be more self-aware.
He said MCA had always been allocated urban seats in Sabah but was largely unsuccessful, except when it won the Kepayan state seat in 2004 and 2008.
'If MCA is strong, of course, Barisan would grow in dominance and regain the support of the people,' he said.
On Tuesday (April 29), Chong said MCA must take charge of its own political course as there is no clear direction from Barisan on how the coalition should move in the next general election.
He said that the party has always remained a steadfast pillar within the coalition despite numerous challenges in the past few years.