KOTA KINABALU: Barisan Nasional (BN) Beaufort has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to retain the Beaufort Parliamentary seat in the 16th General Election (GE16), stating that this position remains unchanged despite interest from other political parties in contesting the constituency.
The coalition’s chairman, Datuk Awang Aslee Lakat, emphasized that the demand to retain this seat has been communicated consistently from the outset and must be respected in all seat-sharing negotiations among political parties.
According to him, while BN does not prevent any party from expressing its intention to contest, the incumbent coalition’s status in Beaufort Parliament warrants appropriate consideration in these discussions.
“As the seat currently represented by BN, Beaufort is among the constituencies we aim to continue holding.
“If any party chooses not to negotiate with us or prefers to contest independently in GE16, that is their decision to make.
“What matters is that BN will retain the Beaufort Parliamentary seat. Period,” he stated in a press release.
Awang Aslee clarified that BN’s demand is not a new issue raised only when competition for the seat emerges.
Rather, he stressed that this position was communicated earlier and should serve as a fundamental basis for negotiations between parties.
“BN’s stance is clear and firm. Beaufort is a seat we intend to retain, and this demand is not a recent development.
“We have made our position known from the beginning, so any negotiation must take this fact seriously into account,” he added.
