KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno aims to contest in at least 14 parliamentary seats in the 15th General Election (GE15).
Its chief Dato Sri Bung Moktar Radin said this was based on the fact that in GE14, Umno contested in 14 parliamentary seats.
The parliamentary seats involved are Kudat, Kota Belud, Sepanggar, Papar, Kimanis, Beaufort, Sipitang, Tenom, Beluran, Libaran, Kinabatangan, Silam, Semporna and Kalabakan.
According to him, the target is based on the party’s study through the Sabah Umno Election Affairs Department (JUARA) where the Research Secretariat is chaired by Ir.Shahelmey Yahya.
He said Shahelmey and the committee would conduct survey research on the pattern as well as the strength of the people’s support for Umno for the seats it contested in GE14.
“Research will be carried out soon and based on the findings, we will finalise the decision of which Parliamentary seat will be contested by Umno,” he said.
Bung said this when met after chairing the Sabah Umno JUARA meeting at the Umno building, here, yesterday.
Also present were Sabah Umno Deputy Chief Datuk Yakub Khan, Sabah Umno JUARA Chairman who is also Sabah Umno Secretary Datuk Jafry Arifin and Sabah Umno Election Director Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak.
Bung, who is also a member of the Umno Supreme Council, said as for the distribution of candidates in the next GE15, preliminary negotiations with BN and GRS should be done transparently based on the strength of their respective parties and it should be decided earlier and should not wait until the last minute to face GE15.
“In GE15, we want to win to form a government not a seat to brag, we must be scrutinise every seat, geopolitics of the will of the voters and locality,” he said.
Earlier, Bung, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister, also held a meeting with the ministers and assistant ministers from Umno and subsequently chaired Sabah Umno liaison committee meeting.
During the meeting with the Ministers and Assistant Ministers from Umno, Bung reminded them to be more proactive in dealing with the people’s problems, especially the covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of the Movement Control Order which saw many rural people affected and in need of assistance.
“I hope all Umno elected representatives will continue to work for the people as it is now since being appointed as elected representatives and not working only during election time, ” he said.
Bung, who is also state assemblyman for Lamag, when chairing the Sabah Umno liaison committee meeting, announced that Umno’s 30-year celebration in commemoration the party’s three -decade of existence in Sabah will be held on a moderate scale in compliance with the SOP on February 20 at the Sabah Umno Building.
