KOTA KINABALU, Sept 7 — PKR today denied several news reports stating that candidates representing the party in the upcoming state election need not necessarily hail from Sabah itself.

A statement issued by the office of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said the PKR president had never mentioned that and instead had stressed on the fact that selection of candidates must be based on their integrity.

The phrase "bukan dari mana” as mentioned by Anwar when launching the party’s Sabah election machinery on September 5 meant that the candidate may not necessarily hail from the same district or state/parliamentary constituency, and instead, it meant that he or she could be nominated to contest in other areas, it said.

"For example, if the candidate hails from Inanam, it does not mean he or she has to contest in that seat itself,” the statement read.

It also stated that Anwar has reiterated his stand to agreeing in principle to giving Sabah PKR greater freedom to pick their own candidates.

"The office of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hopes the media would be more responsible with their reports and at the same time produce accurate and balanced news for their readers,” the statement read. — Bernama