KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is confident of taking control of state seats in Sabah's poverty stricken northern belt seats won by the "opposition," says a senior party leader.
Datuk Seri Ruddy Awah, who is Pitas assemblyman, said that he was confident that the five state seats under the parliamentary constituencies of Kota Marudu and Kudat will be won by the GRS coalition.
"I believe we can win all five of the seven seats as the GRS government under Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has been addressing the needs of the people," said Ruddy, who is state Assistant Minister for Rural Development.
The state seats of Banggi, Pitas dan Tanjung Kapor come under Kudat while Bandau Matunggong and Tandek.
The Banggi and Tanjong Kapor seats were won by Parti Warisan in the 2020 state election but its incumbents defected to Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), a major component of GRS.
Bengkoka and Bandau seats are held respectively by Sabah Barisan Nasional and Parti KDM.
Ruddy, who is Gagasan Rakyat Pitas division chief, said that claims that GRS had failed in developing the northern state seats was untrue as there had been many development plans put in place to meet the needs of the area.
"If they say that GRS failed, they are just talking to mislead people to gain political points.
"If they say that voters were returning their support to Warisan or Umno, it is best for both parties to stay out of the elections," he said during the launch of the Pitas 2024-2035 Development Plan here.
Ruddy, who won the Pitas seat as an independent, said that he was keen to defend the seat under GRS in the soon to be called state election.
However, he said that it was up to the GRS leadership to decide his candidacy.
When asked if he will consider running for the seat on an independent ticket if not picked by GRS, he replied that he would need to rethink the possibility as he was well versed in the needs of the constituency.
