BEAUFORT: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) needs to field more candidates from the younger generation, especially in several key constituencies, in the next state elections.
Lumadan Chief of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS) Chief Mazlan Joehari Manan said that the political landscape has changed, with voter trends showing a preference for younger candidates.
According to him, besides the fact that young voters dominate 40 per cent of the electorate, the selection of young candidates plays a crucial role in ensuring the party’s victory.
“We have seen this in a series of recent by-elections, most recently in the Mahkota state by-election in Johor, where Barisan Nasional (BN), with its young candidate, managed to defeat the senior opposition candidate with a large majority.
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He said this at the Lumadan PGRS annual general meeting, officiated by PGRS Vice President Datuk Ariffin Arif, at the Pa’ Musa Hall here on Sunday.
Also in attendance were Kuala Penyu PGRS Chief Datuk Limus Jury, Sipitang MP Datuk Matbali Musah, and PBS Vice President cum Lumadan Assemblyman Datuk Ruslan Muharam.
When asked about the feasibility of cooperation between GRS and Umno Sabah in the next state elections and the possibility of history repeating itself with another political coup, Mazlan stressed that this is not the main issue.
Mazlan, who is also Special Officer to the Chief Minister, opined that what should be considered is how to ensure political stability is achieved as a result of such cooperation.
“If the cooperation can stabilise the political situation and bring progress to Sabah, I leave it to the state leadership to decide the form of collaboration.
“The cooperation should be a strong unification, meaning that there should not be any issues midway that lead to inappropriate actions.
“Let us work together until the end because what is important to us is political stability, which can bring progress and prosperity to the people,” he said.
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