SABAH POLLS: PKR SEEKS BALANCE IN CANDIDATE SELECTION

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 18 (Bernama) -- Sabah PKR aims to strike a balance between fielding candidates from within its leadership ranks and professionals from outside the party in preparation for the 17th Sabah State Election.

Sabah PKR Leadership Council (MPN) chairman Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said achieving such balance is crucial to strengthening the party’s position and increasing its representation in the state assembly.

He said the party had received numerous applications from individuals keen to contest under PKR, but priority would be given to existing leaders during the candidate selection process.

“The evaluation process will be conducted carefully. Nonetheless, we must stay open to including candidates from outside the party, as other political parties do.

“We will ensure that existing leaders are taken care of and not left behind. That is why we will strike a balance between them and new candidates for the good of the party,” he told reporters after launching the MADANI Malaysia Satellite Tuition programme here today.

He said this when asked to comment on the possibility of ‘parachute candidates’ being fielded to represent PKR in the upcoming Sabah polls.

On the issue of overlapping seats with Barisan Nasional (BN), Mustapha said discussions were almost finalised, with only one or two seats still pending resolution.

“With BN, there are hardly any major issues - only one or two seats left to be finalised. I believe that will be resolved soon. As for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), there are also a few overlapping seats, but I am confident those will be settled in the near future,” he said.

Mustapha, who is also the Deputy Higher Education Minister, said he will not be contesting in the upcoming state election as he intends to focus on strengthening PKR’s strategy to ensure the party’s victory and the continuity of the reform agenda in line with the aspirations of the MADANI Government.

On Oct 6, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor announced the dissolution of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly to pave the way for the state election.

The Sabah State Assembly has 79 seats, of which 73 are contested, while the remaining six are appointed assemblymen.

The Election Commission (EC) has set Nov 29 as polling day for the 17the Sabah State Election, while nomination is set for Nov 15 and early voting on Nov 25.

-- BERNAMA