KOTA KINABALU: Upko - the only local party in Pakatan Harapan - is set to use the national opposition party's symbol during the 15th General Election (GE15).
Upko president-designate Datuk Ewon Benedick said that Upko will use the Pakatan logo that is also being used by its state partners from PKR, DAP and Amanah.
"Upko will be using the Pakatan logo for the election," Benedick said when contacted Saturday (Oct 15).
He said that all the four Opposition parties in Sabah have agreed to use the common logo.
Without wanting to say the number of seats Upko was eyeing in the elections, he said that Sabah Pakatan would be contesting all 25 seats in Sabah.
Upko, which is seeing a leadership transition from incumbent president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau to Benedick, is eyeing six seats in the coming election.
Madius is expected to defend his Tuaran seat that he won on a Barisan Nasional ticket in the 2018 general election.
Upko had left Barisan shortly after the general election to back the Warisan and Pakatan state government under Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
The Warisan government was toppled by the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Barisan Nasional in the Sept 2020 snap state election.
Upko subsequently joined Pakatan in 2021, becoming the only local party in the coalition while Warisan has severed cooperation with the national Opposition.
Upko had contested with its own symbol for the first time in the 2020 state election but only Benedick won the Kadaiman seat.
Madius lost his bid to win the Kiulu state seat, which was among the 12 other seats they contested in.
Sabah Pakatan chairman Datuk Christina Liew said that the seat sharing negotiations among the four component parties in Sabah was completed during a final meeting on Thursday (Oct 13).
“We have submitted our list of seats to be contested to the Pakatan leadership in Kuala Lumpur for consideration and approval.
“For now, we have returned to our respective areas to make the necessary preparations for the upcoming polls,” she said in a statement Saturday (Oct 15).
“We have decided to use the Pakatan logo, and we are in the process of ordering several thousand flags, T-shirts and caps for PKR members and supporters. For Tawau, I have placed my order,” she added.
