BARISAN Nasional (BN) will contest the upcoming 17th Sabah state election (PRN17) using its traditional ‘dacing’ (scales) symbol, confirmed BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Speaking to reporters after launching the Sabah Women’s Empowerment 2025 programme at the Sabah International Convention Centre in Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday, Zahid said BN remains open to political cooperation with other coalitions, including the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
“We will contest under the ‘dacing’ (scale) symbol, which represents BN, but we do not rule out collaboration with other political coalitions,” Sinar Harian cited him saying.
“We continue to hold meetings with all parties because no door should be opened too widely, nor shut completely. In essence, we are keeping the space for dialogue and engagement open.”
Zahid, who is also UMNO president, added that ongoing negotiations are still in early stages and have yet to reach discussions on seat distribution.
“We hope these talks will yield positive results before the state assembly is dissolved.
“It’s too early to finalise anything now, but when the time comes, we hope to conclude the meetings and negotiations we’ve initiated,” he said when asked about the status of talks with GRS.
On the matter of seat allocation and avoiding electoral clashes, Zahid said BN had not yet begun detailed discussions as it was still evaluating potential alliances.
“We’ve not yet reached the stage of discussing seat-sharing or avoiding overlaps, but it’s important we remain open-minded and focus on building allies rather than creating adversaries.
“If possible, we want to contest every seat and win,” he added. - June 24, 2025
