Pejuang open to working with Sabah parties, may contest state polls

 

Pejuang is open to working with political parties in Sabah, including those in the current government, particularly if they can bring added value.

The party has held unofficial discussions about cooperation with several small political parties in the state but it has yet to meet the bigger players, Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir was quoted as saying by the Borneo Post.

“We know the leaders of the active political parties in Sabah on a personal level but there is no official agreement to work together yet,” he said at the Sabah Pejuang Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house yesterday.

Pejuang Sabah has also identified some seats that it may contest during the upcoming state election but the party will make way for others as its main concern is for the people, he added.

“Our brand of politics is not purely so that we must have our candidates contesting in certain constituencies. That is not the end goal, which is how we can contribute towards helping the people.

“It could be contesting in the elections or some other way. We don’t get into politics demanding that we must contest in elections. That is not our approach. With that background, people are more willing to accept us because they know that we are not coming there to make all kinds of demands.

“Hopefully, that way, other political parties don’t look at us as a threat and see us as a party that can provide some added value towards the well-being of the people,” he said.

Pejuang has no desire to wrest away power from anyone, he added.

Maximising limited resources

The party hopes to contribute to the well-being of the state and its people despite the results it received in the previous state and general elections, Mukhriz said.

Pejuang had learnt from the experience to focus on the party’s strengths while not interfering with other parties, he said.

“If in the past we tried to contest in many constituencies, this time around we will focus on areas where we have the support and see what added value we can bring to the area. 

“That way, we can maximise our limited resources as we do not need to move as a huge party,” he said.

When asked if there were any specific parties in Sabah that Pejuang wished to work with, Mukhriz replied that his party has close relationships with many of the leaders of the parties in the state, particularly GRS.

“We have a close relationship with many of the top leadership of the parties that are active in Sabah, most particularly GRS as they are old friends who have been through many challenges together so it is quite natural for us to try and talk to them again,” he said.

However, he denied that collaboration with GRS would end his party’s cooperation with Perikatan Nasional due to the dynamic nature of politics in Sabah.

“Sabah from a political perspective is rather autonomous. I cannot bring peninsular (style) politics here because the situation is very different. In Peninsular Malaysia we are very open to PN and will participate in the campaign for PN in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election.

“In Sabah, it’s a different ball game altogether, so the formula is different,” he said. - Mkini