SABAH, Sarawak and Labuan have 57 parliamentary seats which could potentially determine the formation of the Federal Government in the upcoming General Election (GE), said Sabah Umno Treasurer, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak.
According to him, to form a government, any coalition needs at least 112 seats and in a tight competition without a landslide victory, the Borneo bloc could play a role in determining who forms the government.
He said the strength of 56 parliamentary seats from Sabah and Sarawak and one seat from Labuan makes Borneo an important factor in the national political landscape if no party obtains a clear majority.
“Numbers alone are not enough. Real strength will only be achieved if Sabah and Sarawak can unite and bring a clear common agenda for the benefit of the people and the state,” he said in a Facebook post today.
He described politics in the Peninsula or Malaya as increasingly focused on issues of race, religion and ideological competition, including polemics regarding cooperation with parties such as DAP.
According to him, debates are often more focused on questions of identity than policies that directly benefit the people.
In this regard, he stressed that Sabah and Sarawak need to remain calm and focus on their real priorities, namely political stability, development, implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), fair revenue sharing and strengthening the rights of the states within the Federation.
Commenting on the state’s political situation, Salleh said that the situation in Sarawak is more structured because most of the parties contesting are local parties.
In Sabah, on the other hand, the political landscape is more complex and requires a suitable and acceptable formula to ensure that the state's interests are maintained.
He added that the upcoming general election is not just about who will be the Prime Minister, but rather about the direction of Borneo, whether it wants to be divided or united as equal partners in the Federation.
"In uncertain times, unity is not a matter of emotion. It is a strategy and perhaps the only strength we have," he said. – February 28, 2026
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