GRS aims to win over 15 Sabah parliamentary seats, says Armizan

 GRS secretary-general Armizan Mohd Ali says the coalition now has seven MPs following Upko’s entry.

GRS secretary-general Armizan Mohd Ali said the coalition would seek to retain support in seats it already holds, while making inroads in areas it believes are winnable, at the next general election.

PETALING JAYA:

Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) can win more than 15 parliamentary seats based on a simulation of the last state election’s results, said its secretary-general Armizan Mohd Ali.

Armizan said that GRS now has seven MPs following Upko’s entry into the coalition, and it would seek to retain support in seats it already holds while making inroads in winnable areas.

“Based on the simulation, which does not include Upko… GRS could win (more than) 15 parliamentary seats on paper,” he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.

“But we want more than that because we want Sabah to have a voice… to champion the state’s interests at the federal level.

“Our target is to retain existing support while strengthening our position to ensure we have a stronger voice and bargaining power when representing Sabah in the Parliament.”

On candidate selection for the next general election, Armizan said GRS would assess both the potential of constituencies and the strength of its candidates.

Upko applied to become a GRS component on May 29 after the party’s Supreme Council unanimously resolved to join the ruling coalition.

The coalition now comprises six components. The other five are Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat); Parti Bersatu Sabah; the Liberal Democratic Party; Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah; and Parti Cinta Sabah. - FMT