KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) should state whether it will go solo or form a political pact with others for 17th Sabah Election, says state PKR chief Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.
He said Sabah Pakatan Harapan has maintained its relationship with GRS and it is now up to them to decide if it will contest alone or align with the Pakatan-Barisan Nasional pact.
"There have been unofficial discussions with GRS and they seem open to working with us but no formal decision has been made," Mustapha told reporters after launching the Sabah PKR election machinery here on Saturday (May 17).
Also present were PKR vice-presidents Nurul Izzah Anwar and Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.
Sabah Chief Minister and GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor had earlier said the coalition would consider contesting solo if Sabah Pakatan and Barisan Nasional sealed an official political partnership.
Mustapha, who is also Deputy Higher Education Minister, described the recent meeting between PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Hajiji in Tawau last week as "cordial".
He also said discussions with Sabah Barisan have already taken place, mainly to avoid overlapping seat contests.
On seat allocations, Mustapha said Pakatan is expected to seek a "reasonable number" and that retaining incumbent seats would be a priority.
Currently, Sabah PKR holds two state seats, namely Api-Api held by Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew, and Inanam held by Datuk Peto Galim.
"We also want to ensure our cooperation with Barisan is respected. So there must be a clear and fair distribution especially in the interest of preserving the unity government at federal level," he said.
Mustapha said Sabah Pakatan's focus is still on ensuring political stability and development in the state.
"As long as we can unite the people and support the federal government's agenda, we are open to collaboration – but the terms must be clear," he said.
He also said there are no discussions with Parti Warisan on forming an electoral pact.
