KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno treasurer Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak (pic) disclosed that Barisan Nasional (BN) rejected cooperation with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) after being offered only eight seats in the coming state election.
He said, in a statement on Facebook on Friday, the figure was far below BN’s 14 incumbency seats, won during the last state election, and showed a lack of recognition of the coalition’s contributions.
Salleh added that a remark by a senior GRS leader suggesting that eight seats were already “too many” was especially hurtful and dismissive of BN’s standing in Sabah politics.
He explained that BN could not accept a proposal that disregarded the basis of negotiations, where the incumbency rule means seats remain with the party that previously won them.
Salleh said talks with Pakatan Harapan (PH) had progressed smoothly because both sides respected this rule, applying swaps only where overlaps existed, and that the outcome was nearly finalised.
He noted that BN’s position was consistent with the statement of party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who declared BN would not compromise when fundamental principles were ignored.
Salleh stressed that BN remained open to consensus and discussions with all parties, provided they were grounded in fairness and prioritised Sabah’s interests above all else.