PKR to hold special meeting on Sabah election

Summary

• PKR is set to meet on May 29 to discuss Sabah election strategy, including seat distribution.

• Party president Anwar Ibrahim pushes for fair seat allocation and organised collaboration between Pakatan Harapan, BN, and Sabah leaders.

• PKR targets 13 seats and urges nationwide support for election campaigning.

PKR is expected to hold a political bureau meeting on Thursday (May 29) to discuss the upcoming Sabah election.

Party president Anwar Ibrahim said the special meeting would be held as soon as the ongoing Asean summit is over.

Anwar, who is also the prime minister, said discussions will focus on seat distribution and cooperation strategies with coalition partners and the Sabah state government.

“After the Asean meeting… maybe on the 29th of the month, we will hold a special political bureau meeting for the Sabah election.

“I guarantee that PKR and Pakatan Harapan must get reasonable seats for us to fight,” he said in his closing speech for the PKR national congress at the Persada Johor International Convention Centre today.

Commenting further, Anwar said discussions had been held with Umno president and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as well as Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor to ensure more organised cooperation could be established ahead of the election.

“So far, I have consulted with Zahid, and I have also discussed with Hajiji to ensure that cooperation can be done on the condition that there is recognition of the efforts of PKR and Harapan,” he said.

He stressed that the government’s component parties should be given a fair space to participate in defending the fate of Sabahans through the cooperation formed after the last general election.

“The aim is to be given the opportunity to work together to defend the fate of the people of Sabah,” he said.

PKR aims for 13 seats

Meanwhile, newly elected PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar said the party aims to contest 13 seats in Sabah.

She hoped that Anwar could negotiate with Harapan component parties as well as other coalition partners to ensure this target is achieved.

“Our target is to ask the president to negotiate a minimum of 13 seats in the state of Sabah,” she said in her speech at the PKR national congress.

BN and Harapan announced they will work together for the state election, which will see 73 seats in the state assembly up for grabs.

Previously, PKR only won two seats in the state.

The Sabah election is expected to be held sometime this year, with Hajiji’s tenure as chief minister reaching its fifth year in October.

In the meantime, Nurul Izzah invited PKR members at all levels to be involved in campaigning for the Sabah polls.

“(We) ask the teams in Selangor, Johor, and other states to help the movement in Sabah.

“Make sure everyone shows up to help with the campaign. Most importantly, we have to win as a movement,” she said.

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