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THE Democratic Action Party (DAP) has described its clashes with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) candidates in several constituencies for the 17th Sabah state election as unavoidable, saying multi-cornered battles are a norm in the state’s political landscape.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said the party remains confident that such contests will not strain its working relationship with GRS.
“One or two seats where we face each other are something unavoidable, even though we have tried our best to avoid clashes between one another.
“But it seems that in the context of Sabah, there are local factors, and there are some seats where it is difficult to reach a mutual agreement.
“So, it is normal in Sabah elections to have multi-cornered contests. I don’t see any problem, and if an agreement cannot be reached, then we leave it to the voters to make their choice,” he said when met by reporters at Dewan Sri Putatan.
Pakatan Harapan, represented by DAP, will face GRS in the Kemabong state seat, where Barisan Nasional has also fielded UMNO’s Rahmah Jan Sulaiman.
In Moyog, PH’s Remysta Jimmy Taylor will go head-to-head with GRS candidate Joeynodd Aiko Ronald C Bansin.
Loke said that despite overlapping candidacies, any party that emerges victorious after polling day will still need to enter negotiations to form a state government.
“I don’t see this affecting relations at the top leadership level. We do have mutual understanding even though we cannot reach 100 percent agreement, but we will still cooperate at the federal government level, and after the state election, the party that wins the seats will still need to sit down and negotiate.
“This is something that has already been anticipated in Sabah, because with multi-cornered contests, it is difficult for any party to form a government on its own,” he said.
He added that PH–GRS cooperation is already well-established, making post-election negotiations a natural continuation of the existing relationship.
“Negotiations need to take place after the election. I am confident we all understand this scenario, and for DAP, in any seats where we face our coalition partners, we will run a positive campaign.
“We will not attack our coalition partners, we will only promote our candidates because, in the context of the Sabah state election, much depends on the individual candidate, which is different from the political scenario in Peninsular Malaysia. We are making every effort to field our candidates.
“Vote-splitting will certainly happen because of the multi-cornered contests. It is difficult for any party or coalition to secure 50 percent of the state seats, so each candidate has to work hard. This scenario of vote-splitting has already been anticipated,” he said. - November 15, 2025