TAWAU: Sabah Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has yet to determine the number of parliamentary seats it will contest in the 16th General Election (GE16), pending negotiations with coalition partners in the government camp.
Sabah PKR chief Datuk Ts Mustapha Sakmud said all party branches had submitted motions to contest, including in Tawau and Kalabakan, but seat allocations would depend on negotiations among the parties.
“For now, we can only confirm that PKR will contest the Sepanggar parliamentary seat, and I will defend it to the last drop of sweat,” he said on Sunday.
Mustapha, who also chairs Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH), was speaking after visiting fire victims from Lorong Mat Salleh, Batu 2, Jalan Apas, who are staying at a temporary evacuation centre at the Tawau Sports Complex.
Commenting on Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s (GRS) stated intention to contest at least 15 parliamentary seats, Mustapha said all parties were entitled to express their aspirations.
He said no seats had been allocated to any party in the government camp, adding that negotiations would consider the strength of each party’s election machinery in individual constituencies.
Sabah has 25 parliamentary seats. If GRS secures its request for 15 seats, the remaining 10 would be available for other government-aligned parties, subject to negotiations, Mustapha said.
In the 2022 general election, Sabah PKR contested 10 parliamentary seats but won only Sepanggar, which was retained by Mustapha. The party lost the remaining nine seats, including Tawau.
