Sabah STAR eyes 15 seats in state polls
Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan confirms they are eyeing 15 seats.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah STAR is eyeing about 15 seats in the upcoming state election as political parties begin staking their claims ahead of formal negotiations within the ruling coalition.
Party president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said while PKR has announced its intention to contest 13 seats, DAP 10 and Amanah four, he described such declarations as "not unusual".
Recently, Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah vice president Datuk Masiung Banah had also hinted that Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is eyeing at least 52 seats, leaving the remaining 21 to its potential partner.
"This is normal in politics. Ideally, every party would want to contest all 73 seats.
"Everyone has their own interests. There is nothing wrong with that,' he told reporters at the PETRONAS uplifting lives: Kaamatan 2025 handing over ceremony and exclusive preview of PETRONAS Kaamatan film on Tuesday (May 27).
Asked on the number of seats Sabah STAR is targeting, Kitingan said: 'It is no secret, 15. As a party, we aim to compete. But of course, within the coalition, seat distribution is necessary.
"We will divide the seats accordingly based on changes and the confidence we have in our chances of winning,' he added.
Kitingan also addressed ongoing discussions with its allies in GRS, including with Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).
In April last year, Sabah STAR and PBS took their first step towards forging political unity that had eluded the native communities for the last three decades.
The two major parties, Kitingan leading Sabah STAR, and PBS, led by its acting president Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam, inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in the coming polls.
'We are currently in discussions with PBS and within our group as well to avoid overlapping of seats. In GRS, we need to resolve things internally before discussing with external parties. That is the process.
'These discussions will continue until everything is settled. It's a good process,' he said, expressing hope that all seat allocations would be finalised before the election is officially announced.
Apart from Sabah STAR, PBS and Gagasan Rakyat, the other five component parties are Parti Cinta Sabah, United Sabah National Organisation (Usno), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malaysiakini
29 minutes ago
- Malaysiakini
Successes won't erase graft scandals, Sabah Umno Youth leader warns Hajiji
A Sabah Umno Youth leader has cautioned Chief Minister Hajiji Noor that highlighting state achievements alone will not undo the damage caused by corruption scandals under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) administration. Sabah Umno Youth vice-chief Bobby Balang, responding to Hajiji's (above) recent call for Sabahans to 'exercise wisdom' when facing unverified claims on social media, stressed that youths today are far from naive.
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Jahid Jahim refutes bribery allegation linked to Sabah mining
KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) deputy president Datuk Seri Jahid Jahim has denied allegations that he received a RM150,000 bribe linked to the Sabah mining scandal. Jahid said he was not involved in the alleged mining scandal and had never received any funds related to the approval or issuance of licences for mining in Sabah, as his ministry is not involved in processing such licences. He added that, as the Tamparuli assemblyman, no prospecting licence or any licence related to mining has been approved or issued in his constituency. "There has been an unchecked practice by certain quarters of using or abusing the media to manufacture a false narrative of corruption before any official investigation has been carried out," he said in a statement. On Saturday, a news portal reported that it had obtained the names of six more politicians purportedly involved in the mining scandal. Those implicated include top leaders of STAR and PBS, both key components of the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state government including Jahid. Jahid claimed that there has been an unchecked practice by certain parties of manipulating the media to create a false narrative of corruption before any official investigation has taken place. He said the news portal's approach in attempting to manufacture a false narrative violates the law, as it invites the public to pass judgment before due legal process is followed. He echoed the statement made by Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, who denied similar allegations against him and criticised the use of media to destabilise the current state government ahead of the upcoming state election, a strategy he described as part of the historical "regime change playbook" that has been used in Sabah since the 1960s. Jahid said he is seeking legal advice from his lawyers and reserves the right to pursue legal action against the news portal and its two reporters.
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Jeffrey Kitingan denies involvement in Sabah mining scandal, vows legal action over RM1.78m payout claim
KOTA KINABALU, June 30 — Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan has denied claims that he received RM1.78 million linked to a mining scandal in Sabah. He said the allegation, published by a news portal, was baseless and politically motivated by his critics in an attempt to destabilise, smear and topple the current Sabah government, Berita Harian reported today. 'I have never received any funds related to mining applications or any alleged scandal,' he was quoted as saying. He described the allegation as a fabrication by desperate political players trying to interfere with Sabah politics. 'This is a tactic that has been used since the 1960s,' he said. Kitingan, who is also Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president, said his party has never applied for any mining licence nor was it involved in any mining activities. He described himself as a supporter of the Nature Conservation Agreement (NCA), adding that mining goes against STAR's conservation stance. Kitingan said he and party members are fully cooperating with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and have submitted detailed statements to aid its investigations. 'This is the price we pay in our struggle to reclaim Sabah's rights,' he was quoted as saying. Kitingan also claimed that earlier statements by whistleblowers had cleared STAR and Parti Bersatu Sabah of wrongdoing. As such, he said he will take all available legal action over what he described as malicious and false accusations. This includes legal action against the news portal that published the report. 'We expect more false allegations and slander. 'It would not be surprising if certain parties try to exploit this to shift Sabah's political landscape,' he was quoted as saying.
