KOTA KINABALU, Oct 14 — Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the coalition’s leadership will scrutinise the Sabah chapter’s proposal to contest 48 seats in the upcoming state election.
The deputy prime minister said the 48-seat target, which was announced by Sabah BN chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin earlier this week, was the state coalition’s internal projection and not a final decision.
“I have heard clearly the request from Umno and BN Sabah to contest 48 seats — that’s their proposal,” he told reporters here today when reaffirming the state chapter’s autonomy.
“But we must be realistic. We will only field candidates in winnable seats.”
Zahid explained that the party’s vetting process is ongoing, with three to five potential names submitted for each constituency.
He said the final list would be jointly reviewed by the national and state leadership before being announced.
Pact with Pakatan Harapan
Zahid also confirmed that BN has agreed with its national unity government partner, Pakatan Harapan (PH), to avoid any overlaps between the two coalitions in the Sabah polls.
“We have already reached an understanding with PH that there will be no seat clashes between BN and PH,” he said.
However, he noted that PH is still in separate discussions with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to finalise their own seat distribution, a matter that he said is “outside our scope.”
PH is reportedly expected to contest around 23 seats.
Status of suspended Umno members
When asked about the two suspended Umno members who are rumoured to be contesting under the GRS banner, Zahid said the party would scrutinise the legal and political implications of such a move.
The two, Putatan MP Datuk Shahelmey Yahya and Kalabakan MP Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy, are speculated to defend their state seats of Tanjung Keramat and Tanjung Batu, respectively, on a GRS ticket.
They were among several Umno assemblymen who went against a party directive to withdraw support for the GRS-led government during the failed “Langkah Kinabalu” in 2023.
The 17th Sabah election will take place on Nov 29, following the assembly’s dissolution on Oct 6. Nominations will be on Nov 15, with early voting on Nov 25.
