KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional believes there will be no issue with its ally Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) in the distribution of the 25 parliament seats in the state, says state Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin (pic).
He believes that both coalitions will have a 50:50 share of the seats in the 15th General Election (GE15), adding that the seat distribution will be based on a win-win formula.
“We have already discussed sharing the 25 seats with GRS over the last six months. It’s a win-win for us (Barisan and GRS).
“Barisan and GRS will announce our candidates together before nomination day.
“About 80% of Barisan candidates will be new faces,” he said after launching the Kinabatangan division delegates’ meeting here yesterday.
Sabah Barisan comprises four parties – Umno, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), MCA and MIC.
GRS comprises five parties – Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Sabah chapter, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah STAR, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Usno.
Both Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi have given their blessings for Barisan and Sabah Bersatu (under GRS) to work together at the state level, although both parties are at loggerheads at the federal level.
Barisan will have its own logo while parties in GRS will use their own for the first time since the coalition was formally registered in March this year.
However, GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who met with component party leaders on Thursday, told reporters that seat arrangements were still not in place.
He said the GRS supreme council agreed to work with Sabah Barisan but issues of seat sharing had not been finalised. It is understood that, under a proposed formula, GRS will take 13 seats while Barisan will get 12 seats.
However, as of now, there is no indication that parties within GRS and Barisan will accept the proposed seat sharing formula that is still under discussion.
Sabah Bersatu under GRS and Barisan’s Sabah Umno are also looking at swapping seats in a deal for the two coalitions.
