KOTA KINABALU: Barisan Nasional will be working with what it describes as a “third force” in Sabah ahead of the state election, as ties with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition remain strained.
Barisan chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the coalition would not be contesting all 73 seats but would instead focus on constituencies where its candidates had strong winning chances.
He, however, did not elaborate on which parties or groups comprised this “third force” but said Barisan was confident of securing more than the 14 seats it won in the last state election.
Other than GRS, standalone political players in Sabah include Parti Warisan, which has announced it will contest all 73 seats, and Parti KDM, which is targeting more than 50 constituencies.
Both parties are part of the Federal Government but remain in opposition at the state level.
Ahmad Zahid said that the seat negotiations with Pakatan Harapan were nearing completion.
“We have reached an understanding with Pakatan to avoid overlapping contests, but the full arrangement will be concluded when the state assembly is officially dissolved,” he said.
Earlier this month, Sabah Umno and Barisan declared they would not cooperate with GRS in the state polls, though they would maintain their partnership with Pakatan.
GRS, led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, has eight component parties, but only four hold elected seats – Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah with 24, PBS (seven), Sabah STAR (six), and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah, one.
On the Barisan volunteer squad, Ahmad Zahid said the aim is for the group to help alleviate the burden of disaster victims across the state.
He said the squad would work alongside the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), with funding allocated based on the situation and needs in disaster-stricken areas.
