BARISAN Nasional (BN) is locked in an escalating row with its federal ally, Pakatan Harapan (PH), over early seat demands in Sabah — a dispute that threatens to undermine the fragile national pact ahead of state elections expected later this year.
It has been over a month since the PH–BN electoral partnership was formalised nationally, but in Sabah, tensions are brewing over seat allocations between the two coalitions, with face-to-face talks scheduled for early July.
Sources familiar with the pre-negotiation process say two things are already clear: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), the ruling state coalition, will be excluded from the meeting, and PH has submitted a preliminary claim over three key constituencies — Nabawan, Sindumin, and Sungai Manila — asking both BN and GRS to step aside.
But BN, particularly Sabah Umno, is not backing down.
“They made demands, but they’ve asked for three of our seats. Those are seats we cannot give up,” said a senior Sabah Umno leader.
Sabah BN reportedly has no issue with GRS being excluded, due to a long-standing feud between the two blocs.
Talks with PH ongoing
However, talks with PH are said to be “still ongoing,” with potential for cooperation only in areas where seat interests do not overlap.
What has further angered BN is the way the demand was made — with Sabah PH leaders allegedly invoking the backing of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to justify their claims.
“PH leaders are telling GRS and BN to stay away from those seats using the Prime Minister’s name,” said another source. “Yet they’re asking us for campaign support. How does that work?”
The three constituencies are politically sensitive. Nabawan and Sungai Manila are currently held by Sabah Umno.
Sindumin, once a BN stronghold, was won by Warisan in 2020 but its assemblyman, Datuk Yusof Yacob, later crossed over to GRS — setting up both BN and GRS to reclaim it.
Insiders further claim that Sindumin and Sungai Manila have been earmarked for close relatives of a senior Sabah leader who currently holds the state’s highest office.
The leader’s long history with Sabah Umno reportedly complicates internal resistance to the demand.
Crossover from GRS?
According to a BN source, the two individuals are seeking to contest under the PKR banner, with one potentially crossing over from GRS before the polls.
In Nabawan, PKR is also eyeing the seat. The current assemblyman, Datuk Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin, was previously with Umno before joining Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, a GRS component. “He would be replaced,” the source added.
Sabah Umno election director Jeffrey Mohd Noor, when contacted, declined to comment on the seat claims but confirmed that talks between BN and PH are “underway.”
BN, led by Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, has made its position clear: it plans to contest 40 out of 73 seats, leaving the remaining 33 to PH.
PH, meanwhile, has yet to present a united seat strategy. Sabah PKR Information Chief Razeef Rakimin said the coalition is waiting for BN to initiate formal talks.
“But we are not worried. We have our target seats and are open to cooperating with GRS and BN,” he said. “But if BN doesn’t come forward, negotiations won’t be concluded. We also don’t know whether BN is sincere, or just playing games before going against PH.”
Razeef’s remarks reflect PKR’s internal proposal to contest 13 seats, as announced earlier by deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar. PKR currently holds two seats in Sabah — Inanam and Api-Api.
Sabah DAP intends to contest around 10 seats, including defending its existing strongholds: Tanjung Papat, Kapayan, Likas, and Luyang.
UPKO, which holds Kadamaian through party president Datuk Ewon Benedick, and Sabah Amanah have yet to declare how many seats they aim to contest. Ewon is currently tasked with coordinating PH’s seat negotiations.
Despite holding only seven seats collectively, PH’s early demands are being viewed by BN as overreaching — especially given the request involves incumbent constituencies.
With GRS excluded and PH pushing demands BN refuses to entertain, the prospect of multi-cornered fights remains high in the state.
This comes even as top national leaders from both PH and BN have expressed support for a three-way electoral understanding involving GRS but have so far refrained from intervening openly in Sabah’s political affairs. - June 16, 2025
