Latest news with #Barisan-Pakatan
The Star
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah Amanah eyeing four seats in upcoming state polls
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Amanah Negara has become the first party to reveal the state seats it is eyeing in the upcoming 17th Sabah Election (PRN17). The party's national election director, Mohd Sani Hamzan, expressed the party's intention to contest the Tanjung Aru, Karambunai, Lumadan, and Sulabayan seats, which fall under the parliamentary constituencies of Putatan, Sepanggar, Sipitang, and Semporna, respectively. 'Of course, these are the seats we are targeting, but the final decision will depend on negotiations with the Pakatan Harapan leadership and our coalition partners. 'Nevertheless, these four are the seats we hope to contest in PRN17,' he said at a press conference after launching the Sabah Amanah election operations machinery on Saturday (May 17). Also present was Sabah Amanah chairman Lahirul Latigu. Lahirul said discussions with Pakatan component parties regarding Amanah's seat requests have so far reached between 70% and 80% completion. 'We have held talks with Pakatan, and negotiations will continue after the upcoming PKR party elections. 'Following that, we will begin discussions with Barisan Nasional (BN), in line with the recently announced Barisan-Pakatan cooperation under the unity government,' he said. Lahirul also noted that Amanah's membership in Sabah has been growing. 'We now have 18 divisions across Sabah, and I expect this number will continue to increase over the coming years,' he said. He added that Sabah Amanah will contest in PRN17 under the full strength of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, which currently governs at the federal level. Amanah currently holds no seats in the Sabah state assembly, after failing to win any during its first attempt under the Warisan Plus alliance in the 16th state election in September 2020.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sabah PKR slams claim of finalised seat deal with BN, urges Umno to stop jumping the gun
KOTA KINABALU, May 1 — Sabah PKR has denied seat negotiations have been decided between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) as reportedly claimed by Sabah Umno information chief, Datuk Suhaimi Nasir. Sabah PKR information chief Razeef Rakimin said that at the state level, informal meetings have taken place, but so far, there have been no discussions between PH and BN regarding seat allocation. 'Pakatan Harapan has yet to officially meet either BN or GRS to discuss electoral cooperation, let alone seat distribution. We do not know where Suhaimi got the figure of 40 seats from, nor do we know with whom he has been having these discussions,' he said. Razeef, who is also the deputy information chief for the central PKR, said that PKR and Sabah PH remain open to working with all parties who share the same aspirations for the state of Sabah — but such matters should be discussed in official meetings. 'We urge Umno to advise its leaders in Sabah not to make unilateral statements, especially those concerning cooperation in facing PRN-17 and seat allocations. It would be better for negotiations to take place first before any statements are made,' he said. Razeef said that he had reached out to all PH leaders and confirmed no discussions had been held. 'Sabah BN leaders have repeatedly made such statements even though they have never met with PH, let alone discussed these matters. And we don't understand their purpose in continuing to lie,' he said. Earlier today, The Star quoted Suhaimi Nasir saying that the Sabah BN and Sabah PH have come to an agreement that the former will contest 40 seats in the 17th Sabah election, while the remaining 33 seats will go to PH. Suhaimi told reporters in a meeting with selected media houses that they were using a formula where incumbent seats remain with the party currently holding them while considering which coalition or party commands stronger grassroots support in other constituencies. 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. Sabah PH is currently in the governing coalition Gabungan Rakyat Sabah(GRS), while Sabah Umno is in the opposition. The state election is due to be held by October this year.
Malay Mail
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Sabah PKR slams claim of finalised seat deal with BN urges Umno to stop jumping the gun
KOTA KINABALU, May 1 — Sabah PKR has denied seat negotiations have been decided between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) as reportedly claimed by Sabah Umno information chief, Datuk Suhaimi Nasir. Sabah PKR information chief Razeef Rakimin said that at the state level, informal meetings have taken place, but so far, there have been no discussions between PH and BN regarding seat allocation. 'Pakatan Harapan has yet to officially meet either BN or GRS to discuss electoral cooperation, let alone seat distribution. We do not know where Suhaimi got the figure of 40 seats from, nor do we know with whom he has been having these discussions,' he said. Razeef, who is also the deputy information chief for the central PKR, said that PKR and Sabah PH remain open to working with all parties who share the same aspirations for the state of Sabah — but such matters should be discussed in official meetings. 'We urge Umno to advise its leaders in Sabah not to make unilateral statements, especially those concerning cooperation in facing PRN-17 and seat allocations. It would be better for negotiations to take place first before any statements are made,' he said. Razeef said that he had reached out to all PH leaders and confirmed no discussions had been held. 'Sabah BN leaders have repeatedly made such statements even though they have never met with PH, let alone discussed these matters. And we don't understand their purpose in continuing to lie,' he said. Earlier today, The Star quoted Suhaimi Nasir saying that the Sabah BN and Sabah PH have come to an agreement that the former will contest 40 seats in the 17th Sabah election, while the remaining 33 seats will go to PH. Suhaimi told reporters in a meeting with selected media houses that they were using a formula where incumbent seats remain with the party currently holding them while considering which coalition or party commands stronger grassroots support in other constituencies. 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. Sabah PH is currently in the governing coalition Gabungan Rakyat Sabah(GRS), while Sabah Umno is in the opposition. The state election is due to be held by October this year.
The Star
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
BN agrees to contest 40 seats, remaining 33 for Pakatan in Sabah polls, says Umno leader
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.
The Star
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Star
‘Barisan win shows voters want political stability'
Hello there: Mohamad Yusri greeting locals in Batu Tiga following his by-election victory. — Bernama PETALING JAYA: The Ayer Kuning by-election has delivered a significant message – voters are prioritising political stability and national prosperity over extremism and divisive politics, say political leaders and analysts. Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the Barisan Nasional victory, with Tapah Umno secretary Dr Mohamad Yusri Bakir securing a 5,006-vote majority, reflected growing grassroots support for moderate, multicultural and progressive political ideals. 'This marks three consecutive by-election victories with overwhelming majorities for Barisan, especially Umno, after successes in Nenggiri and Mahkota. Tuan Ibrahim attributed Perikatan's loss to low voter turnout. — Bernama 'It demonstrates that voters have rejected extreme and unethical politics that promote hatred, racism, verbal abuse, slander and false accusations,' he said, adding that the win reaffirmed the Barisan-Pakatan Harapan partnership. On Saturday, Mohamad Yusri won with 11,065 votes in a contest against Perikatan Nasional's Abd Muhaimin Malek and KS Bawani of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). Universiti Malaya's Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi said the result served as a wake-up call for Perikatan, which had expected to strengthen its grassroots influence in Ayer Kuning. 'Instead, it shows Barisan's narrative is resonating better with Malay voters who value stability and familiarity,' he said. However, he cautioned that Malay support was not uniform across the country, and future elections would provide clearer insights. International Islamic University Malaysia's Asst Prof Lau Zhe Wei noted that non-Malay voters, particularly the Chinese community, continued to shy away from third-force parties such as PSM and Muda. 'This does not mean there's no sympathy for them, but sympathy alone has yet to translate into votes,' he said, adding that a stronger third force would be healthy for Malaysian politics in the long run. Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Dr Azmi Hassan said while the results were encouraging for Barisan and Pakatan at both the state and federal levels, the partnership still needed to work harder to address grassroots concerns. 'The margin should have been wider. Malay voters turned out in strong numbers but non-Malay voter turnout was noticeably lower, possibly because they viewed it as a Barisan stronghold,' he said. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's Assoc Prof Dr Mazlan Ali agreed, adding that the result showed growing acceptance of the Barisan-Pakatan cooperation, particularly among Malay voters. He said the win reinforced the partnership among the parties within the government, which is likely to continue until the next general election. Meanwhile, PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man attributed Perikatan's loss to the low voter turnout and alleged abuse of government machinery. 'The Election Commission (EC)must do more to ensure higher turnouts during by-elections,' he said at PAS' national Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house in Lukut, Negri Sembilan. Tuan Ibrahim claimed that many of the party's outstation supporters had already returned during Aidilfitri and could not get leave again to vote. He also dismissed claims that Perikatan's focus on pig farms had alienated voters, insisting it was a genuine environmental and public health issue raised by both Malays and non-Malays. He argued that despite the loss, Perikatan had made 'inroads' and managed to secure over 6,000 votes. Tuan Ibrahim said Perikatan would conduct a full post-mortem of the campaign early next month and called for the EC to address irregularities raised by political observers, including groups such as Bersih.
