KOTA KINABALU, Sept 20 — Caught between its two partners, Pakatan Harapan (PH) has urged Barisan Nasional (BN) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to respect its seat allocations and refrain from contesting constituencies assigned to PH under their respective electoral pacts.
Sabah PKR chief Datuk Mustapha Sakmud insisted that neither BN nor GRS should field candidates on seats that PH is contesting.
“Our principle is clear. Once a seat is agreed for Pakatan, let’s say Inanam – Barisan should not contest, and GRS should not contest. The seats must be exclusive to Pakatan,” he said.
Mustapha said PH candidates would cooperate with their BN and GRS counterparts in constituencies allocated to PH, based on seat-sharing formulas negotiated separately with each partner.
Earlier, he said talks between PH and BN are reportedly near conclusion, with BN expected to contest between 40 and 44 of the 73 state seats, leaving the rest to PH.
Some overlaps remain unresolved, including Sindumin – a seat Umno is eyeing but which PKR is positioning for a candidate linked to a former chief minister.
Another seat under contention, the east coast state seat of Gum Gum would go to BN, but other seats are still under discussion.
Negotiations with GRS, however, are ongoing. Mustapha revealed that GRS has offered 18 seats to PH, but the coalition is pushing for 23. Within PKR, he said, the party is targeting at least 13 seats while accommodating its PH partners – Upko, DAP and Amanah.
“GRS proposed 18 seats. We said that is not enough. We initially asked for 23. Within PKR itself, we want at least 13 seats,” he added.
BN and GRS, once partners in forming the Sabah government following the 2020 snap election, have been political foes at the state level since January 2023. However, both remain part of the federal unity government, formed after the November 2022 general election.
