KOTA KINABALU: Sabah STAR is eyeing about 15 seats in the upcoming state election as political parties begin staking their claims ahead of formal negotiations within the ruling coalition.
Party president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said while PKR has announced its intention to contest 13 seats, DAP 10 and Amanah four, he described such declarations as "not unusual".
Recently, Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah vice president Datuk Masiung Banah had also hinted that Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is eyeing at least 52 seats, leaving the remaining 21 to its potential partner.
"This is normal in politics. Ideally, every party would want to contest all 73 seats.
"Everyone has their own interests. There is nothing wrong with that,” he told reporters at the PETRONAS uplifting lives: Kaamatan 2025 handing over ceremony and exclusive preview of PETRONAS Kaamatan film on Tuesday (May 27).
Asked on the number of seats Sabah STAR is targeting, Kitingan said: “It is no secret, 15. As a party, we aim to compete. But of course, within the coalition, seat distribution is necessary.
"We will divide the seats accordingly based on changes and the confidence we have in our chances of winning,” he added.
Kitingan also addressed ongoing discussions with its allies in GRS, including with Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).
In April last year, Sabah STAR and PBS took their first step towards forging political unity that had eluded the native communities for the last three decades.
The two major parties, Kitingan leading Sabah STAR, and PBS, led by its acting president Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam, inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in the coming polls.
“We are currently in discussions with PBS and within our group as well to avoid overlapping of seats. In GRS, we need to resolve things internally before discussing with external parties. That is the process.
“These discussions will continue until everything is settled. It’s a good process,” he said, expressing hope that all seat allocations would be finalised before the election is officially announced.
Apart from Sabah STAR, PBS and Gagasan Rakyat, the other five component parties are Parti Cinta Sabah, United Sabah National Organisation (Usno), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah.
