Empty seats don’t mean we lack support, says Dr M

 

The launch of Sabah Pejuang was set for 4pm, with fewer than 200 people showing up despite many more seats allocated.

KOTA KINABALU: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has dismissed the low turnout at the launch of Pejuang’s Sabah chapter here today.

Instead, the Pejuang chairman expressed confidence that the party would be able to win over Sabahans in the general election.

“It does not reflect the real support for the party here. Many people are busy campaigning. I am not concerned,” said Mahathir.

The launch of Sabah Pejuang was set for 4pm, with fewer than 200 people showing up despite many more seats allocated.

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Organising chairman Nicholas Sylvester Muhammad claimed that most of the group’s members were busy campaigning, hence their absence at today’s event.

The Mahathir-led Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) will be fielding 116 candidates for parliamentary seats in the country. This includes 14 seats in Sabah.

GTA will be contesting on a Pejuang ticket as the loose Malay-Muslim-based coalition has yet to be registered with the Registrar of Societies.

Mahathir, a former prime minister, was welcomed at the airport by Sabah chief minister and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah chairman Hajiji Noor.

The two later held a private discussion but Mahathir said the topic was not political.

“We talked mainly about development in Sabah. We didn’t talk about politics. But we will see after the elections,” he said when asked about possible collaboration between the two parties. - FMT