Sabah PKR to defend Inanam, says other parties can ‘dream on’

 

Both Sabah PKR chief Mustapha Sakmud (left) and PBS vice-president Arthur Sen are making a claim to contest Inanam in the next state polls.

PETALING JAYA: 

Sabah PKR will seek to defend the Inanam state seat in the next state election, possibly setting up a clash with fellow state government party, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).

Sabah PKR chief Mustapha Sakmud said 

there is no question

 about the party fielding candidates in Api-Api and Inanam as it had won the two seats in the 2020 state election, The Borneo Post reported.

Other parties can dream on (about contesting for the two seats). We will be defending these seats that we won (in 2020),

 he said.

Four days ago, PBS vice-president Arthur Sen said Inanam was among the seats his party is eyeing to contest in the next state election.

Sen said the party had prepared a list of seats it wished to contest and this would be brought to the attention of the top leadership in Gabungan Rakyat Sabah for further discussions and negotiations with component parties.

GRS, which PBS is a component of, leads the Sabah government with the backing of Pakatan Harapan, which PKR is a part of.

PBS held the Inanam seat from 1985 to 2013 when it lost the seat to PKR’s Roland Chia by a 3,202-vote majority.

PKR has since defended the seat for two consecutive terms, with state assistant minister Peto Galim the current Inanam assemblyman.

Party leaders have been tight-lipped about alliances for the next state election. The state assembly will be automatically dissolved by October next year, after which a state election will need to be held within 60 days.

Mustapha also said Sabah PKR is hoping to contest more seats in the next state election but acknowledged the need to be pragmatic about the matter.

He said the party has identified several seats it wanted to contest and it was currently studying its strength and prospects in these areas.

Mustapha, who is also the federal deputy higher education minister and Sepanggar MP, also said he will 

consider the possibility

 of contesting for a state seat. - FMT