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New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Sabah polls: Umno, BN seat allocation under negotiation committee
SEREMBAN: The number of seats to be contested by Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno in the upcoming Sabah election will depend on the formula to be decided by the negotiation committee with Pakatan Harapan (PH). BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the coalition had appointed the BN secretary-general and the Umno secretary-general to hold discussions with its unity government counterparts on seat negotiations. He added that, so far, BN and PH had agreed to work together in the election, but his party remained open to other options and possible cooperation with different parties. "It is up to the negotiation committee to decide on the formula and the number of seats that Umno and BN will contest. "I hope a decision can be reached soon, as the election is drawing near. "This matter is also important so that our machinery clearly understands the party's direction in facing the Sabah poll," he told reporters here today. It was reported that efforts to form an electoral pact among BN, PH and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) for the state election, expected this October, appeared increasingly difficult as seat allocation negotiations remained deadlocked. Yesterday, Wanita GRS chief Datuk Seri Azizah Dun stressed that the Sabah-based political coalition, comprising eight component parties, would defend the 39 seats it had previously won. Meanwhile, Mohamad, who is also foreign minister, stressed that Umno and BN would remain firm in contesting the seats they had won in the previous election, as well as reclaiming those given to Bersatu. "The seats we gave to Bersatu will be taken back, because during the last Sabah election, we surrendered traditional seats to the party on the understanding that we were together. "But we were stabbed in the back, so we do not want the same thing to happen again," he said, adding that Umno and BN must reassert themselves as the dominant party in Sabah after the election.
New Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
'GRS will defend seats in Sabah Election even while working with PH'
KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah will defend its existing seats in the coming Sabah Election, said the coalition's Women's wing chief Datuk Seri Azizah Dun. "For now I do not see that we are affected (by the decision to work with Pakatan Harapan). "For me, (GRS) will definitely defend its seats. It goes without saying. "We are also hoping that the existing women elected representatives will retain their seats," she told reporters after chairing the GRS Women's meeting at Wisma Institute For Development Studies (IDS) here. Recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had asked for GRS, PH and Barisan Nasional to work together to prevent clashes in the 73 state seats in Sabah. When asked whether there would be any compromise in ensuring all three coalitions can work out the formula, Azizah said that GRS would only abide by the decision announced by coalition secretary-general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun that they would only be working with PH for now. "We will hold onto the decision at the state level as announced by Datuk Masidi Manjun."
