Love triangle: Sabah Umno says 'no compromise' on seats won

INTERVIEW | Umno will not concede any of its current seats in Sabah as negotiations continue with Pakatan Harapan and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) ahead of the 17th state election, due before year-end.

Sabah Umno information chief Suhaimi Nasir said the current arrangement is unlikely to see any clashes between BN and Harapan, while Harapan is also not expected to face GRS head-on.

“We will not compromise with any party to give up seats we have already won. That’s one thing.

“Secondly, it’s not our tradition (to concede) - seats that we are supposed to contest, we will contest. No compromise,” said the Libaran MP during a joint interview in Parliament, in reference to a reported “love triangle” between the three coalitions.

Out of the 73 seats in the state assembly, Sabah BN won 16 in the last state election, then allied with Perikatan Nasional and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) against Warisan Plus.

Since then, the political map has shifted - BN now has seven opposition assemblypersons, two appointed representatives, and three government assemblypersons, totalling 12 seats.

While both BN and GRS have pledged to remain allied with Harapan, ties between the two coalitions remain strained since 2023, when Sabah Umno withdrew support for Chief Minister Hajiji Noor’s government.

Suhaimi said Sabah Umno’s candidates - expected to comprise up to 70 percent new faces - will not be fielded in any Harapan-held seats.

“No clashes with Harapan, but will clash with all of GRS’ candidates. This thing will happen.

“Depends on how many seats GRS will contest. If it’s 40 seats, then there will be clashes in all. But none with Harapan,” he said.

‘Allocated’ seats for Harapan

Elaborating, the Libaran Umno chief said Sabah BN had “allocated” certain seats for Harapan, which the coalition would then have to “clear” with GRS to avoid three-way contests.

Citing the Libaran parliamentary constituency as an example, he said: “Libaran has three state seats. We may give Harapan the Gum-Gum seat.”

“The other two seats (for BN) are Sungai Sibuga and Sungai Manila. But GRS might also want all three, so we could end up clashing,” he said.

Prime Minister and Harapan chairperson Anwar Ibrahim earlier this month said the priority in negotiations was to avoid three-cornered fights that could split the government bloc and confuse Sabah voters.

Warisan could gain from perception

Suhaimi acknowledged that any friction among governing allies could erode public trust, giving state opposition Warisan - which has declared its intention to contest all 73 seats - an advantage in perception.

“Right now, if you look at it, the advantage is with them.

“Maybe the people believe them because they are consistent. People see it from that angle,” he said.

Despite ongoing scrutiny over major issues, including the Sabah corruption scandal and the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir, Suhaimi maintained that BN has the track record to dominate the state election.

“I am confident BN will dominate in this state election because the people now know how to compare.

“Local parties have been in government before - PBS, Berjaya, Usno, for example. Then BN governed for many years, and people saw how BN carried out development.

“Warisan, too, has been in government. What happened during their administration? Many things took place, and their impact is still felt today.

“GRS has also been in government - what happened then? They focused more on groundbreaking ceremonies, but corruption was rampant. So the people are evaluating.

“It seems right now the advantage is with Warisan, because of these comparisons. People are comparing the records of different governments,” he added.

On Saturday, Warisan president Shafie Apdal defended his party’s decision to contest all seats, arguing that alliances with federal-based parties lead to political interference.

The former chief minister also dismissed seat-sharing with national coalitions, saying past arrangements had done little to address Sabah’s core issues.

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