Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) said failure to reach a consensus in seat negotiations could disrupt the harmonious political cooperation between parties, ultimately putting both sides at a disadvantage.
He called for constructive discussions between Sabah PKR and its allies to ensure a fair and logical distribution of seats.
“Any political cooperation must be sincere and not involve taking seats from others. Politics in Sabah is dynamic and unique, as new alliances may emerge after the state election.
“Therefore, priority should be given to political stability and the interests of the people of Sabah ahead of the upcoming state election,” he told FMT.
On March 13, chief minister Hajiji Noor expressed his disapproval of Pakatan Harapan (PH) wanting to contest in constituencies currently held by GRS in the upcoming state polls.
This came after Sabah PKR chairman Mustapha Sakmud expressed interest in contesting in the Tempasuk state seat, currently held by Gagasan Rakyat’s Arsad Bistari.
Hajiji, who is also the chairman of GRS and president of Gagasan Rakyat, has firmly said that GRS will defend all its current seats in the state election.
Meanwhile, Syahruddin Awang Ahmad, also from UMS, suggested that GRS could face internal divisions if it fails to establish a strategic formula for seat allocations ahead of the election.
He warned that PKR’s interest in seats held by other parties could strain intra-coalition relations within GRS as those constituencies already have strong grassroots support for their current representatives.
“There is a risk that parties under GRS may feel betrayed and opt to contest independently just to prevent their state assembly seats from being ‘unfairly taken’ by their own allies.
“Mutual respect, compromise and strategic negotiations among all GRS parties are essential to prevent clashes between government coalition parties in the state election,” he added. - FMT
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