THE United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) will be contesting using its own logo in the Sabah election.
Its president Datuk Ewon Benedick said the decision followed consultations with Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sabah.
UPKO, a component of PH, will however, only use the coalition’s symbol for federal seats in the next general election, expected in 2027.
Ewon, who is also the Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, said the move was made in line with the autonomy granted to PH Sabah by the Prime Minister earlier this year.
“For UPKO, the decision to use our own logo was made here in Sabah.
“Our partners like PKR and DAP may still need to consult their national leadership in Kuala Lumpur, but for UPKO the position is clear.
“We will use the Kinabalu logo for state seats and the PH logo for Parliament,” he said when met after launching the Usahawan Madani: Perniagaan Keluarga seminar organised by INSKEN at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu on Saturday.
Ewon said the decision reflected Sabah’s political diversity and PH Sabah’s right to exercise its own discretion, describing it as a mark of respect among coalition partners.
He added that using individual party logos was not new within PH.
In the 2022 Johor state election, PKR contested under its own symbol while Amanah and DAP used the PH logo — a model Ewon said could also apply in Sabah.
Ewon said UPKO’s partners had given their feedback but accepted the party’s decision to proceed with its own branding.
“As of today, we maintain our position: Kinabalu logo for the state election, PH logo for Parliament,” he said.
On seat negotiations, Ewon said most discussions within PH Sabah were already completed, although a few were still ongoing with national leaders in Kuala Lumpur.
He acknowledged that changes were still possible before nomination day.
“From experience, what’s decided early can still shift on nomination day. Seats can be swapped, candidates can change, that’s part of the process.
“So I’d say the final round of negotiation is really on nomination day itself. Let the guessing continue until then,” he said.
While Ewon confirmed that UPKO is now free to contest any seats under the coalition framework, he did not address whether the party could overlap with its PH partners.
Initially, UPKO had reportedly been offered only two seats, Kadamaian and Moyog, although the party has yet to confirm if those limits still apply.
Ewon said he had no objection to PKR and DAP announcing their candidates separately, adding that UPKO would make its own announcement while coordinating with its partners.
“That’s the unique part of PH Sabah. We could even make a joint announcement at one venue. We go as PH, but the logo decision remains a party call,” he said.
In the manifesto, Ewon said he hoped all PH component parties would launch it simultaneously to show unity despite using different symbols.
“When it comes to the manifesto, I hope we can launch it together. That’s how we show unity even with different logos,” he added.
UPKO won only the Kadamaian seat in the 2020 Sabah election when it was part of the Warisan PH UPKO alliance.
Other PH components still have not decided on using their own logo is DAP. - October 18, 2025
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