Kota Kinabalu: Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) Youth Chief, Datuk Fairuz Renddan, asserted that the party president has the right to announce potential candidates for the election.
He was commenting Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s announcement of Datuk Arsyad Bestari as the candidate for the Tempasuk state seat.
“The president is simply announcing candidates for existing seats — it’s not interfering with any other party’s territory.
“The Tempasuk seat does not belong to Pakatan Harapan (PH), so there is no logical reason for this to be an issue.
“If Chairman of the State Leadership Council (MPN), Datuk Mustapha Sakmud wants to express his views on behalf of PH, he is free to do so — we have no objections,” Fairuz said.
He was commenting on Mustapha’s statement on Sunday, where he urged party leaders not to preemptively announce candidates to avoid conflicts.
“Over 30 per cent of young voters actively involved in politics have stated that their main concern is leadership and the ability of a candidate to deliver results — not which party they represent. We are listening to their voices and want to highlight this,” he said.
Fairuz, is also Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports, said today’s youth are more aware of government efforts and are not afraid to voice their aspirations.
“In GRS, our focus must be on working for the rakyat. When it comes to candidates—whether it’s me or someone else from a GRS component party — we must ask ourselves: Are we fighting for personal gain or for the people’s agenda? That’s what truly matters,” he said.