SABAH Pakatan Harapan will meet with state parties soon to discuss distribution of seats as it expects to wrap-up seat negotiations with members today. 

Sources close to the Sabah PH council reveal it will accept Parti Warisan Sabah and Parti Cinta Sabah into the fold but could snub United Sabah Alliance (USA).

“This is because a USA member advised Sabah PH to let state opposition parties contest in the elections,” the sources said. 

The source did not name the person but could have been referring to Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah president Lajim Ukin who told Sabah PH parties to leave it to the Sabah-based parties to help them capture Putrajaya..

USA is the state-opposition coalition comprising Sabah Solidariti Tanah Airku (Sabah Star), Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Parti Perpaduan Rakyat Sabah (PPRS). 

On November 25, Sabah DAP chairman Stephen Wong named Keningau chairman Peter Saili as candidate for the Bingkor state seat which is held by Star president Jeffrey Kitingan. 

The delay in deciding on the distribution of seats was due to the council’s indecision over whether to include 13 new state seats in their list. 

The proposed new state constituencies are Bengkoka, Menggaris, Pintasan, Pantai Dalit, Darau, Tanjung Dumpil, Dampai, Tulid, Telupid, Sungai Manila, Lamag, Segama and Kukusan. 

They are in the Kudat, Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, Tuaran, Sepanggar, Putatan, Papar, Pensiangan, Beluran, Libaran, Kinabatangan, Silam and Kalabakan parliamentary respectively. 

“Sabah DAP is expected to contest five or six parliament constituencies and 12 to 18 state seats,” the source said. 

These include the parliamentary and state seats it won in the 13th General Election. – December 9, 2017.