IPOH: Both Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional will apply the incumbency formula in Sabah for the upcoming state election, says DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke.
He said there should be no clashes between Pakatan and Barisan in the coming polls, confirming that both coalitions have reached a consensus on seat arrangements.
“The agreement, reached at the highest level of leadership, was discussed during a recent meeting attended by the Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“This is the principle that we have agreed upon, that there must be no seat clashes between both coalitions,” he said in his speech when opening the Perak DAP 23rd annual convention at a hotel here on Sunday (Oct 5).
Loke said the upcoming state polls, expected to be called within the next week or two as the current assembly’s term nears its end, would serve as a test of how Pakatan and Barisan manage their cooperation.
“Sabah is more complicated because it has many coalitions. Although they are part of the Madani government at the federal level, it does not necessarily mean they are aligned at the state level.
“However, Pakatan and Barisan had agreed to respect the principle of incumbency, which is strongly emphasised by Umno and accepted by DAP as well.
“This means there will be no overlapping seats. Even if we continue to use our own logos, we will not contest against one another,” he said.
Loke said under this arrangement, whoever holds the seat would be given the honour and support to continue contesting it.
“For DAP in Sabah, we do not have many seats, only six that we won in the previous election.
“This time, we will defend all six, plus one or two more that we have discussed and negotiated to ensure a shared victory,” he said.
Loke expressed confidence that by adhering to this formula, the partnership between both coalitions could be further strengthened and sustained in the long term.
