Anifah once again eyes Bongawan seat for coming Sabah polls
Former Kimanis MP Anifah Aman contested the Bongawan state seat in the 2020 state polls but lost to Warisan's Daud Yusof. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA : Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) president Anifah Aman has declared his intention to contest the Bongawan state seat in the upcoming Sabah election.
Anifah said his decision is not merely to challenge the incumbent, Warisan's Daud Yusof, but to fight for the people in the constituency, who still face basic infrastructure issues such as inadequate hospital facilities and poor road access.
'I respect him (Daud) as a colleague, but the people of Bongawan want development worthy of a full-fledged district.
'These promises were made long ago and should have been fulfilled by now,' the former federal minister said in a Facebook post.
In the 16th Sabah election, all PCS candidates lost in all 73 state seats, with Anifah losing in Bongawan.
Commenting on seat allocations among parties in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, the former Kimanis MP said the state election should not be a fight over the seats but an opportunity for parties to secure victory together.
'The legitimacy of a government lies in how many seats it wins. PCS's struggle within GRS is clear – we uphold a common cause for a shared victory.
'The focus is not on how many candidates are fielded, but on winning seats for GRS. All GRS component parties must maintain unity for political stability and the benefit of the state and its people,' he said.
Last week, Usno president Pandikar Amin Mulia said the party may go it alone if it continues to be sidelined in GRS.
The former Dewan Rakyat speaker said Usno has been belittled by some GRS leaders after requesting seats to contest in the upcoming election.
A divisional leader of Gagasan Rakyat, Rafie Robert, said GRS component parties were free to quit if they were dissatisfied, while Kiulu deputy chief George Teo said Usno should be grateful as GRS gave the party a lifeline by allowing it to join the coalition.
The current Sabah state assembly term ends in November and the election must be held within 60 days of its dissolution.
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