Upko will ‘come to its senses’ on Sabah polls logo, says Shamsul

Shamsul Iskandar Akin said it was crucial for Ewon, as Sabah PH chief, to lead the way in putting up a united front for the coalition ahead of the 17th state election.

He urged Ewon to discuss his proposal with fellow PH components before making a final decision on the matter.

“Ewon, as the chairman of Sabah PH, will come to his senses,” Shamsul told FMT in an exclusive interview.

“It may also be good for him to discuss (the proposal) with all the other partners in Sabah PH, because we know that in any election, unity is paramount.

“If Upko decides that they don’t want to use the PH logo, then we need to manage that because it gives a sense that DAP or PKR will also use their own logo,” said Shamsul.

Ewon had proposed that Upko contest under its own logo in the state polls to give “emphasis” to the “Sabah spirit”.

However, he said the matter was still the subject of discussion, and that the PH presidential council has yet to make a final decision.

Upko had left Barisan Nasional in 2018 to form the Sabah government with Warisan and PH.

During the 2020 state election, Upko was a part of an alliance with Warisan and PH but ran under its own banner. PKR had also contested under its own logo, while DAP and Amanah used Warisan’s.

After joining PH in 2021, Upko contested under the coalition’s banner in Sabah during the general election the following year.

Shamsul said there was still time and room for negotiations, and for the central Pakatan Harapan leadership to gain a clearer understanding of the dynamics behind Upko’s proposal.

“We still have a few more weeks until nomination day on Nov 15,” he said.

He nonetheless maintained that cooperation and unity in Sabah PH remained strong.

“I was made to understand that we are among the first to reach a consensus on the (distribution of) seats (among other coalitions),” he added.