SABAH Umno is eyeing the opportunity to contest several new state seats in the next state election, said liaison chairman Bung Moktar Radin.

He said many areas, including Sg Manila in the Libaran parliamentary constituency, are Umno strongholds, and hopes that the party will be given due consideration to field its candidates in meetings with other Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties and its allies, such as PAS and Bersatu.

“With the increase in the number of state seats, there are areas that are Umno strongholds, including Sg Manila. For sure, Umno has an advantage there if it is given the opportunity to contest,” he said after officiating an Umno branch meeting at the Sg Manila district polling centre near Sandakan last night.

In the 14th general election, 60 state seats were contested but in July last year, the Dewan Rakyat approved a motion to add 13 more state seats in Sabah, bringing the total to 73 seats.

Apart from Sg Manila, other new state seats are Bengkoka in the Kudat parliamentary constituency, Darau (Sepanggar), Limbahau (Papar), Telupid (Beluran), Lamag (Kinabatangan), Kukusan (Kalabakan), Bandau (Kota Marudu), Segama (Lahad Datu), Pintasan (Kota Belud), Tg Keramat (Putatan), Pantai Dalit (Tuaran) and Tulid (Pensiangan).

Bung Moktar also said that Umno will nominate 80% to 85% new faces in the next polls, and priority will be given to young candidates to give the younger generation more chances to develop the country.

He also said that candidates have been identified from among those who can win and are accepted by the people, but not have been finalised as Umno has yet to discuss the matter with its allies.

“It is useless for us to demand a constituency if both our party and candidates are weak and we still insist to be the people’s representatives there.

“That is why Sabah Umno will submit data to support why we want to request for certain seats and who we will highlight as a candidate,” he said.

On whether former chief minister Musa Aman, who is also incumbent of the Sg Sibuga state seat, had met him about defending his seat, Bung Moktar said that there had been no direct communication, but that he was open to discussing it.

On the judicial review filed by Musa and 32 other state assemblymen seeking the leave of the recent decision of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Juhar Mahiruddin to dissolve the state assembly, Bung Moktar said that the court decision would not affect efforts to strengthen the party machinery. – Bernama, August 9, 2020.