KOTA KINABALU: Sabah PKR says its priority is to win more seats in the upcoming 17th Sabah State Election but this should not come at the cost of leaving grassroots leaders behind.
Sabah PKR chief Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said long-serving local leaders would continue to play a central role.
He was responding to concerns there would be "parachute candidates" – individuals who have not been part of Sabah PKR but contesting under the party banner.
Mustapha said the candidate selection process would be fair to existing leaders while remaining open to new faces.
"We are evaluating all applications and will ensure that our own leaders are among those considered. The process will be done fairly.
"The key is to find balance – the most important thing now is how to increase our number of seats in Sabah," he said after launching the Malaysia Madani Satellite Tuition Programme for the Sepanggar parliamentary constituency at Suria Inanam on Saturday (Oct 18).
There is talk that among those to be considered are Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Musa Aman's son Datuk Yamani Hafez Musa, a former Sipitang MP under Umno and later Bersatu and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, as well as former Kemabong assemblyman Datuk Jamawi Jaafer and former Education Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ruji Ubi.
The PKR leadership has yet to confirm if they are party members.
On the PKR's seat negotiations with Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Mustapha said most matters had been resolved.
"With Barisan, only two seats remain to be finalised. There are also a few seats with GRS, which I expect will be settled in the near future," he said.
Asked if he would contest in Darau, Mustapha said he had been asked to focus on his Sepanggar parliamentary constituency.
"My task now is to ensure key seats, especially in Inanam and Api-Api, are defended," he said.
