SABAH PKR chief Christina Liew has downplayed the state’s role as kingmaker in the ongoing party polls, saying the elections are still too early to call.

She said Sarawak would have the last say as it is where the party polls will be held last next month.

However, if the polls are determined by the numbers of voters, Sabah would likely influence the results as the state has the second largest membership in the country, only after Selangor with 220,000 members.

“We have 145,639 members in Sabah. Yes, we are the larger one compared to Sarawak in east Malaysia.

“Whether, Sabah is going to be the kingmaker, I leave it to PKR members to decide that, but as far as I am concern, it is Sarawak which will have the final say. So we (Sabah) are not the kingmaker in that sense.

“But this will also be determined by how the results turn out when it is Sabah’s turn to vote,” she said.

Sabah PKR members are expected to vote on November 3.

Two camps are battling out for positions in the PKR polls with one team led by incumbent deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali and the other led by vice-president Rafizi Ramli, who is gunnin for the former’s position.

Azmin has a narrow lead of 757 votes, garnering 29,011 votes so far over Rafizi’s 28,254 votes after the polls in Selangor, Pulau Pinang, Johor and Kelantan.

Liew said the two leaders had been going in and out of Sabah over the past months either to engage with members or for official party visits.

Azmin himself was in Sabah yesterday, she said.

Liew noted the polls this time will be exciting as it looks like all members are expected to come out in full swing to choose the party’s new leadership.

She noted some divisions are very active this time around, adding further that for the first time after 10 years being the Api-Api branch leader, she is finally being challenged to defend her post.

“But I guess competition is healthy. Many were quiet before because we were in the opposition.

“So PKR cannot be in the comfort zone for too long and this is why I’m happy to finally have a rival.

“These things will keep us going and work harder to serve the people,” she said. – October 18, 2018.