Sabah polls: Amanah seeks extra seat, pins hope on final talks

With just a week left before nomination day for the upcoming Sabah state polls, Amanah is seeking another seat to contest, pinning its hopes on negotiations with its election partners.

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu said that while the party has been allocated the Sulabayan state seat, it is attempting to secure another.

“We have conveyed our wish to Pakatan Harapan secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail - he will try to conduct some final negotiations before nomination day on Nov 15,” Mohamad told a press conference at Amanah’s National Convention 2025 in Shah Alam today.

“Sulabayan is a tough seat (to secure), but when we are entrusted with contesting for a seat, we will do our best. Amanah doesn’t need a place to be majority-Muslim - we can go anywhere,” he added, without disclosing the party’s preferred second seat option.

Noting that it is normal for seat negotiations to last until the final hour before candidates are named, Mohamad, who is also the agriculture and food security minister, assured that relations with its election partners will not be affected if its request is not granted.

On Oct 22, Saifuddin said seat negotiations between Harapan and BN for the Nov 29 Sabah polls have been completed, while talks on seat distribution between Harapan and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) are expected to follow soon.

BN deputy chairperson Mohamad Hasan has since also confirmed that there will be no clashes between BN and Harapan in the 17th Sabah state election.

Earlier in July, Mohamad said Amanah was looking to contest five Sabah seats, including Sulabayan, Tanjung Aru, and Lumadan.

On Oct 27, he announced that activist Julpikar Mijan, who hails from Semporna, will be contesting Sulabayan, stressing that the party must work hard to win its first-ever seat in the state.

Before the official dissolution of the Sabah legislative assembly on Oct 6, the state constituency was represented by Warisan’s Jaujan Sambakong, with Warisan president Shafie Apdal rumoured to have his eye on the seat in a bid to defend the party’s stronghold.

PAS has also reportedly said it is ready to take on Amanah for the Sulabayan seat.

Cabinet reshuffle

On a separate matter, Mohamad said today that Amanah will accept whatever decision is made by the prime minister regarding cabinet seats and distributions, amid rumours of a potential cabinet reshuffle and looming vacancies due to expiring senatorship terms.

“(Matters concerning) the cabinet are the prime minister’s prerogative - he can appoint politicians, professionals, people from within or outside the party - it’s up to him,” he said.

He added that while Amanah has yet to hold talks with the prime minister on the matter, it is vital to “strengthen” the government’s team ahead of the next general election.

Declining to comment in detail on supposed strife between Perikatan Nasional component parties PAS and Bersatu, Mohamad merely said they should be left to sort out their internal issues.

“We will monitor (the situation) from afar. It’s just that with the turmoil they’re in, we might be able to face the general election easier while feeling more relaxed,” he quipped.

In recent times, Bersatu has been hit with calls for a change of leadership, with the party’s image seemingly left scarred by infighting and disciplinary action against party members aligned with its deputy president, Hamzah Zainudin.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has since declared that the party will stay out of Bersatu’s leadership crisis as it refuses to interfere in the internal affairs of its PN ally.

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