KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Bersatu is hoping that the brewing leadership crisis at the party’s national level will not affect its bid to recapture the state government in the Nov 29 Sabah election.
State chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said the party is fully geared to contest as he brushed aside the crisis as normal political hiccups.
“I hope whatever is happening at the national level will not affect us here in Sabah,” he said in an interview.
The Beluran MP assured members and supporters in Sabah that “business is going on as usual” here.
He said despite what is happening at national level, leaders and members are adamant to make sure that it doesn’t affect the state polls.
He said Sabah Bersatu and its allies, including PAS and Gerakan, have agreed to contest under the Perikatan Nasional logo.
While he did not disclose how many seats Bersatu and PAS will be contesting, Kiandee said Perikatan is expected to contest “enough seats to form a government”.
It is learnt that Perikatan is looking at contesting at least 40 of the 73 state seats at stake.
Kiandee is expected to take on Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) minister Datuk James Ratib in Sugud, a state seat in the Beluran parliamentary constituency.
Asked on reservations among Sabahans about PAS, he assured there is nothing to be concerned, pointing out that DAP and PKR were previously associated with the party.
In the just dissolved GRS-led state government, Sabah PAS Commissioner Datuk Aliakbar Gulasan was made a nominated assemblyman.
On the Sabah for Sabahans sentiment, Kiandee said he is all for Sabahans fighting for their rights, adding that state rights under the federal constitution must be honoured and fulfilled.
In 2020, Bersatu led by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor toppled then Warisan government helmed by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal with the help of Barisan Nasional.
Hajiji, whose Bersatu won 11 seats, became chief minister but abandoned the party to form Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah to align with the federal unity government in December 2022.
