Parti Bersatu Sabah acting president Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam (right) presents a souvenir to former deputy president Datuk Seri Radin Malleh at the party's 40th anniversary celebration in Kota Kinabalu on Wednesday (March 5).
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) is looking to reclaim its traditional stronghold in Melalap, less than 24 hours after the possible vacancy of the seat following the conviction of Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) president Datuk Peter Anthony.
PBS acting president Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam confirmed the party's interest in contesting the seat, which it previously dominated before losing to KDM in the last state election.
"We will retain our seven seats and, if possible, reclaim Melalap. But as a responsible partner in Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), we must first discuss this with our coalition allies," he said at PBS' 40th anniversary celebration on Wednesday (March 5).
Former PBS deputy president Datuk Seri Radin Malleh, a four-term Melalap assemblyman, lost the seat to Anthony in 2018 when the latter contested under Parti Warisan. Anthony retained his seat in the 2020 state election under Warisan before leaving the party in 2022 to form KDM.
Joachim stressed that PBS prioritises fielding "winnable candidates" and will engage in discussions to ensure the best outcome for the party and coalition."We have a long-standing history in Melalap. It has always been part of our stronghold, and we believe the people still resonate with our struggle for Sabah’s rights," he added.
Aside from its current seven seats - Kundasang, Kiulu, Tamparuli, Tandek, Matunggong, Lumadan, and Telupid - PBS has other constituencies on its wish list to discuss with GRS allies.
"Ultimately, we leave it to the people to decide. PBS has always fought for Sabah’s rights, and we hope the people continue to support us," he said.
Anthony is facing being disqualified as the Melalap assemblyman after the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction for falsifying documents.
His final appeal to overturn the conviction and sentence, linked to a maintenance and service contract at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) 11 years ago, was rejected.
He began serving his three-year jail term on March 5 and was fined RM50,000.
With Melalap now possibly up for grabs, PBS is expected to intensify negotiations within GRS as it seeks to reclaim its lost ground in the interior constituency.
His position remains until March 18 as he has 14 days to take any legal action before being automatically disqualified as the Melalap assemblyman.
Earlier, Sabah state Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim Yahya said Anthony has 14 days to exhaust all legal avenues before he automatically loses his seat following the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold his conviction.
Under Article 17(1)(e) of the Sabah Constitution, an assemblyman sentenced to at least one year in jail or fined RM2,000 or more will lose his position.
However, Kadzim said that this must be considered alongside other constitutional provisions.
"It now depends on his lawyer’s next course of action," he said, adding that if the seat is vacated, there would be no by-election as the state election is expected to be held soon.
