Kota Kinabalu: Deputy Prime Minister cum Barisan Nasional (BN) Chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the coalition will not contest all 73 seats and, instead, only field candidates in winnable constituencies in the coming 17th Sabah Election.
“We are not contesting everywhere. What matters is that the seats we contest are winnable. These will be finalised and announced at the right time,” he said.
Zahid, who is also United Malays National Organisation (Umno) President, said discussions with Pakatan Harapan (PH) had been concluded to avoid overlapping contests, while BN is also open to working with a “third force” in Sabah to strengthen its chances.
“What is important is to ensure cooperation so that the seats will be in favour of BN candidates,” he said.
He added that BN is confident of improving on its previous performance, where the coalition won 14 seats, and is now targeting more constituencies, including new areas.
Meanwhile, Sabah Umno Chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin reaffirmed the State’s loyalty to Zahid’s leadership, stressing that Umno Sabah remains united and resilient despite political challenges.
“We will continue to stand firm with the national leadership. Our mission is clear, to serve the rakyat and rebuild confidence in BN,” he said.
Bung said the party is also committed to strengthening cooperation with BN components and other political partners in preparation for the State election.
It was reported that BN which once formed the backbone of leadership at federal level face the prospects of only comprising Umno and Parti Rakyat Bersatu Sabah (PBRS).
The latter long viewed as a “mosquito party” by its Sabah rivals only has one parliament seat to show for. Both MCA and MIC are suspected to be cozying up to rival coalition, Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Earlier, Zahid flagged off the BN Volunteer Squad at the Umno Sabah headquarters, a team formalised to assist with post-flood relief and clean-up operations.
The squad, made up of grassroots volunteers, will operate across 25 parliamentary constituencies and coordinate with the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) during disasters.
Zahid said the initiative began after his visit to flood-hit districts last week, where BN had deployed water tankers and cleaning equipment to help affected families.
“This reflects our spirit of volunteerism. BN is colour-blind when it comes to helping the people,” he said.
The launch was followed by a gotong-royong programme where volunteers immediately began clean-up work in affected residential areas.