ANY state assembly seat in Sabah that has changed hands since the 2020 state election remains open for negotiation, Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, Chairman of the Sabah PKR Leadership Council, said on Monday.
He cited the example of the Petagas constituency, previously won by Parti Warisan, but whose representative has since shifted to Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), making it eligible for discussion.
“Petagas is unique, it is not a Gagasan Rakyat incumbency. This was previously won by Warisan. So, seats that are not held by incumbents are subject to negotiation,” he told reporters after attending the Jelajah Harapan Urang Sabah programme in Kampung Ketiau.
He added, “But one thing we need to understand is the so-called ‘role of incumbency’. Any seat won by the party since 2020 must be respected, but any seat that has changed since then can be negotiated, and this is the case for Petagas.”
Mustapha, who is also the Member of Parliament for Sepanggar, explained that the claim for Petagas is based on the party’s strong support in the area.
“This is our Parliament. People need to know, Awang Husaini Sahari has been our MP here and the outcome of the 15th General Election shows that our performance was very good; we only lost by 124 votes.
The base of our supporters here is strong. That is why we have grounds to field our candidate in Petagas,” he said.
He stressed that PKR is only seeking one seat for now, reflecting the party’s willingness to cooperate with strategic partners in the coalition to secure collective victory in the 17th State Election. - November 4, 2025
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