No seat ‘belongs’ exclusively to one party, says Upko chief

 

Upko leader Ewon Benedick said there was a lack of collaboration between PH and GRS on sharing political appointments.

PETALING JAYA: Upko president Ewon Benedick has dismissed the notion that some state assembly seats in Sabah are exclusively for a particular party.

Ewon said the political environment now was significantly different from the previous state assembly elections in 2020, Bernama reported.

He said he disagreed with the view that certain seats were the “absolute property” of one party.

He called for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Pakatan Harapan to hold fresh discussions to formulate new plans, including over seat distribution, for the next Sabah polls.

Upko is a member of Pakatan Harapan, with Ewon holding a post in the federal Cabinet.

He had previously called for a fresh formula on seat allocations among parties in the GRS-led Sabah government and said Upko aims to contest more seats.

He came under criticism from a Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah leader, John Ambrose, who said Upko should not demand seats it had no chance of winning. He said Upko won only one seat despite contesting 12 in the 2020 elections.

Ewon said today there was a lack of collaboration between PH and GRS at the grassroots level, especially when it came to sharing political appointments and maintaining balance in public administration.

However, he said he would leave it to GRS chairman and Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor, as well as the two PH representatives in the state Cabinet, to interpret how this can be done.

Yesterday, GRS deputy secretary-general Armizan Mohd Ali said the cooperation between the two coalitions should continue for the coming elections. - FMT