BN stakes claim to 40 state seats, 33 for PH

SABAH Barisan Nasional (BN) says it plans to contest 40 of the 73 state seats in the upcoming Sabah election, leaving the remaining 33 to Pakatan Harapan (PH) in their apparent electoral pact formula. 

The announcement was made by Sabah Umno information chief Datuk Suhaimi Nasir during a media briefing on Tuesday, following the national BN leadership’s confirmation of its intention to cooperate with PH in the state polls this year.

PH has yet to endorse the arrangement.

In an immediate response, Sabah PKR clarified that no official seat negotiations have taken place between the two coalition partners.

“There is already an understanding with PH. They agreed to the seats we want,” Suhaimi reportedly said.

He added that BN will mainly contest semi-urban and rural constituencies, while PH is expected to focus on urban areas.

The declaration comes at a time when the rift between BN and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) has already reached its peak. 

Relations between the two broke down in early 2023 after GRS leaders left Bersatu and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor removed several key BN figures from his cabinet, including Sabah BN chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, replacing them with leaders seen to have defied party directives.

Suhaimi said the issue of seat overlaps with GRS remains unresolved and widespread, signalling that GRS is not part of the PH-BN electoral equation.

“There are many overlapping seats with GRS — almost all of them,” he said, citing Dalit, Tanjung Keramat, Tawau and Balung.

“These are seats we won under BN before, but the reps jumped to other parties.”

He also questioned the legitimacy of GRS, alleging it was cobbled together largely from defectors.

“Until now, people in Sabah don’t trust GRS. It was formed from party-hopping,” he said. “Many of the current GRS seats were taken from Warisan — they jumped from Warisan and formed the government.”

Despite this, Hajiji has openly expressed interest in working with PH in the upcoming election — a stance that puts GRS at odds with Sabah BN.

With fault lines already fully exposed, the only question now is whether either side is willing to compromise.

Separately, Suhaimi said Sabah Umno plans to nominate Bung Moktar as BN’s “poster boy” for the polls — a symbolic figurehead typically used to lead coalition campaigns.

Bung had earlier indicated the issue was not a priority.

“For us, it has always been the tradition for the BN chairman to be the poster boy,” Suhaimi said, noting that any final decision will be made by the national party leadership.

He also responded to criticism from Johor MCA Youth, which recently claimed that the BN-PH alliance had diminished MCA’s role.

“MCA must be self-aware. In Sabah, they’ve never won a seat — even in urban areas. If MCA is strong, BN will be strong. But that’s not the case now,” Suhaimi said.

Neither PH’s national leadership nor GRS has commented on the latest remarks by Sabah Umno. – May 1, 2025