Sabah PKR will not vie for the chief minister’s post and will back a candidate from either of its electoral allies after the state election, state party chief Mustapha Sakmud said.
He said PKR‘s main objective is to win as many seats as possible to strengthen the state government.
“Our objective is to ensure we have a stable state government. Which is why PKR is contesting 10 seats, while DAP will be vying for seven seats, and Amanah eying one seat,” he said in an interview with FMT.
As for Sabah’s next chief minister, Mustapha said it would be determined by the outcome of the polls.
Pakatan Harapan has reached separate pacts with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Barisan Nasional. While BN are allies with PH at the federal level, it is the opposition in Sabah.
Earlier this month, Utusan Malaysia reported that Ruji Ubi, a former secretary-general for the unity ministry, had dismissed speculation that he would be appointed as chief minister should PH-GRS win the Nov 29 polls.
Ruji, who will contest the Merotai seat, said the main focus was to ensure his party wins.
On a separate matter, Mustapha explained why, unlike other party leaders, he decided to sit out the Sabah polls.
He said he wanted to focus on his duties as the Sepanggar MP and deputy higher education minister.
He said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the PKR president, wanted him to focus on his duties in government and parliament, which were major responsibilities.
“I was at one time keen on contesting in Tempasuk,” he said, adding that he had visited the constituency to begin groundwork in preparation for the polls.
“But after several months ( of dividing my time between Tempasuk, Sepanggar and ministerial duties), I found my ambition to be difficult.”
After mulling it over, he said, he decided against contesting for the seat, where he had previously been defeated in the 2018 and 2020 elections.
“But I will help PKR win the 10 seats,” he said.
Tempasuk is expected to witness a multi-cornered fight among GRS candidate Arsad Bistari, Khidir Lamsil of Warisan, and Kota Belud Umno chief Azwan Norjan.
In the 2020 state election, Arsad won the seat on BN ticket with a 1,685 vote majority. However, he later decided to back chief minister Hajiji Noor’s government following an attempted political coup to oust Hajiji in 2023.
