By Yusof J. Imbang
KUDAT: The allocation of seats for the upcoming 17th Sabah State Election should ideally be handled internally, fostering a sense of family within GRS rather than being made public.
Datuk Masiung Banah, Vice President of the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), said that any requests for seats from GRS component parties should be kept confidential to prevent the public from being influenced by extreme politics.
“Aren’t we part of one big family? It would be more careful to discuss this at the highest level of GRS,” he said when speaking to reporters after opening the Gagasan Rakyat Tanjung Kapor Division Annual Meeting on Monday.
The Tanjung Kapor Division is led by its assemblyman, Chong Chen Bin @ Ben Chong.
He was asked about the demands from parties within GRS and Pakatan Harapan (PH) in local media for additional seats in the State Assembly to contest.
Last week, the President of the Sabah Progressive Party, Datuk Yong Teck Lee, suggested that GRS should contest in all DUN seats in Sabah.
Masiung mentioned that within Gagasan Rakyat, this matter has not yet been discussed.
The issue of seat distribution is intensifying the debate about GRS and PH’s preparations for the state election, which must be held by the end of next year.
He urged party leaders in GRS and PH at the state level not to make public statements about seat distribution, as it could harm the good relations within the coalition.
“Let the main leaders of GRS and PH handle this discussion; grassroots leaders should avoid making assumptions to prevent misunderstandings,” he said.
Over 1,000 delegates, including representatives from GRS and PH, attended the event held at the Kudat Multipurpose Hall.
