Sabah Star accepts less seats, continues to stay with PN
SABAH POLLS | Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president Jeffrey Kitingan, who threatened that his party would quit Perikatan Nasional (PN) if not given up to 18 seats, has changed his mind.
He said he was not happy that his party was only allocated eight seats but decided to accept the arrangement and stay with PN...
SABAH POLLS | Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president Jeffrey Kitingan, who threatened that his party would quit Perikatan Nasional (PN) if not given up to 18 seats, has changed his mind.
He said he was not happy that his party was only allocated eight seats but decided to accept the arrangement and stay with PN.
"Of course we are not happy, but we have to accept that we are in a team," he told the media after PN unveiled its candidate list.
"We are a team, so go by the team. There are limited seats. So we just give and take. What is important is we should ensure that we win whatever seats we have," Kitingan said.
Kitingan felt that the Kadazan Dusun Murut (KDM) seats in Sabah should be equally allocated to KDM-based parties, namely Star and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).
On Sept 8, he said the party should be allocated 15 to 18 seats by the coalition, but it was offered only between six and eight seats.
Read more: Sabah Decides 2020: Making sense of the players, parties and battles
Earlier today, Sabah PN announced its candidates for the state election.
Despite being part of PN, PAS was not allocated any seat.
When asked to elaborate, Kitingan said the arrangement was as such due to the sentiment on the ground.
PAS was not well accepted by Sabahans who are known for their moderation, multiculturalism, and multi-religiousness, he said.
PAS reportedly was eyeing to contest in 10 state seats. In the previous election, PAS contested in 19 state seats but lost all of them.
Follow Malaysiakini's coverage of the Sabah state election here.
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