KOTA KINABALU – Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and Sabah Star have agreed to withdraw their candidates and proxy candidates for the Tambunan, Bingkor, Bengkoka and Api-Api state seats in a bid to consolidate their strength to defeat Warisan Plus.
PBS has ordered Bingkor and Tambunan candidates Peter Jino Allion and Silverius Bruno to cease campaigning and support the Sabah Star candidates.
Similarly, Sabah Star chief Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan is said to have ordered Marcel Jude and Akian Ah Kiew – independent candidates for Api-Api and Bengkoka – to halt campaigning.
Kitingan. Nevertheless, has denied any involvement with the two candidates.
Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin witnessed a simple ceremony to mark the political arrangement today. Sabah Star is a component of PN.
Hamzah said PBS and Sabah Star are only clashing in two seats, down from six. These exclude seats previously contested by proxies.
“I have contacted PBS president (Datuk Seri Panglima) Maximus Ongkili and gracefully, he has agreed to withdraw contesting from these seats. We will continue to consolidate the clashed seats,” he said at a press conference here today.
Present were PBS secretary-general Datuk Jahid Jahim.
PBS and Sabah Star earlier clashed in Moyog, Panginatan, Liawan and Tulid seats.
Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional (BN), led by Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, is colliding with PBS or Sabah Star in 17 state seats -- Bengkoka, Matunggong, Tandek, Kadamaian, Tanjung Aru, Kapayan, Moyog, Lumadan, Paginatan, Tambunan, Bingkor, Liawan, Melalap, Tulid, Sook, Telupid and Karamunting.
PBS had surprised their allies on nomination day on September 12 by running for 22 seats, instead of 15 that it announced earlier.
Kitingan yesterday announced the new Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition that included BN, PN and PBS to facilitate plans against a consolidated effort against Warisan Plus.
GRS was launched by PN chairman and prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Malaysia Day.
Independent candidate joins Sabah Star
Meanwhile, former Sabah PKR vice-chairman Kenny Chua, who is defending his Inanam seat as an independent, has joined Sabah Star.
However, Chua said that he will continue his bid for the seat as an independent.
“So, the issue over seat clashes between Sabah Star and PBS does not arise in my case,” he said, adding that he made the decision to join Sabah Star three days ago.
Chua is the sole PKR assemblyman in Sabah to quit the party.
He is siding with former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman in the manoeuvre to topple the Warisan government led by current caretaker chief minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal last month. – The Vibes, September 22, 2020
Additional reporting by Zaidi Azmi
