An Upko Youth leader has defended the party’s proposal to contest the Sabah election under its own banner, noting that a similar strategy had been adopted by PKR, its Pakatan Harapan ally, in the past.
Rayner Ebi said PKR had contested under its own logo in the Johor state election in 2022, the Jesselton Times reported.
And PKR’s allies in the coalition, namely, DAP and Amanah, had contested under the PH logo, he said.
“This demonstrates that PH is indeed open to diverse strategies under one cooperative umbrella,” he was quoted as saying.
The Tuaran Upko Youth chief also dismissed criticisms that the party’s planned move would result in PH coalition partners and supporters questioning its loyalty, as claimed by a PKR leader.
“The proposal to use the party logo should not be viewed as a sign of disloyalty, but rather as part of a political strategy that takes into account local identity.”
Last night, Tuaran PKR chief Razeef Rakimin called on Upko to drop the idea of contesting the state election under its own banner.
Apart from risking its loyalty being questioned, Upko’s proposal also gave the impression that the party was preparing to quit the coalition en bloc, Razeef claimed.
On Saturday, Upko president Ewon Benedick said his party was discussing the possibility of contesting the election using its own logo, but stated that no decision had been made yet by the PH presidential council.
“We want PH to place emphasis on the Sabah spirit, which is why Upko has proposed to use its own logo.
“I believe our fellow PH leaders understand Upko’s position in this matter,” he was reported to have said.
