KOTA KINABALU: Barisan Nasional is still in talks to work with other parties and coalitions in the Sabah election, says Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic).
The Deputy Prime Minister and Barisan chairman said no doors have been fully closed or opened to other groups, and that the talks have been positive so far.
“We have not finalised seat sharing, but what is important is to have an open mind because we want to have more ‘friends’ than enemies,” he told reporters here on Tuesday, adding that Barisan will aim to contest under its own banner.
He declined to state whether Tanjung Batu assemblyman Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy will still be allowed to contest after his membership suspension.
Andi, who is also Kalabakan MP, was among two Barisan leaders suspended for going against Barisan’s decision to withdraw its support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in January 2023.
On another matter, Ahmad Zahid urged the suspects in a mining scandal in Sabah to clear their names in court, just like he did.
“If someone has the witness and evidence to fight against the prosecution’s witnesses and evidence, then clear your names like I did,” he said.
He added that the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission should be given the trust to solve these cases.
Last week, it was reported that two assemblymen are among three individuals likely to be charged by the end of the month in a corruption scandal involving mining licences in Sabah.
