KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak opined the most effective solution to prevent overlaps or conflicts within a political coalition is to field a single candidate for each constituency.
He emphasised that this approach delivers a clear message to voters, prevents the division of votes, and enhances the coalition’s overall strength against its rivals.
In the realm of politics, he acknowledged that there could be a few constituencies where parties struggle to come to a consensus.
He noted these conflicts might revolve around which party deserves the chance or which candidate is most appropriate, taking into account local backing or grassroots influence.
Salleh, the Usukan assemblyman, warned that such scenarios could lead to the emergence of independent candidates backed by sponsors, silent protests, or internal discord that might jeopardise the coalition’s overall strategy.
“To prevent more severe repercussions, it may be wise to consider a well-regulated friendly competition, but only in those areas where it is genuinely needed,’ he said in his latest Facebook post.
“These disagreements may involve which party should be given the opportunity or which candidate is best suited, based on local support or grassroots strength,” he said in his latest Facebook post.
He emphasised that such actions should only be considered as a last resort after all negotiation attempts have been fully utilised, and they must be carefully controlled to prevent them from becoming a regular occurrence.
He also stated that friendly contests should never take place in areas where vote-splitting could result in an opposition victory.
