PENAMPANG, April 12 — It is still uncertain whether Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president and deputy chief minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan will contest in the next general election, but the party may need him to.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) component’s deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said that it has yet to be decided whether Sabah’s longest-serving elected representative will be defending his seats this coming general election.

“If you ask him... actually he does not desire it. He had publicly indicated enough is enough — he wants to play other roles.

“But we at the party Supreme Council is evaluating the impact it will have on the party and Barisan Nasional,” said Ongkili.

He said that the party, along with BN leaders will be discussing it in the next week and come to a decision soon.

Pairin, a former chief minister, had previously announced his retirement from politics and his desire to spend time with his family but last year said he was willing to consider contesting again if the party advises him to.

Pairin, 77, has been active in politics since 1975, and is Keningau member of parliament and Tambunan assemblyman. He is one of the most senior politicians still active in Sabah, while holding the position of Huguon Siou, the paramount leader of the Kadazandusun.

While the leader has an almost revered status in Sabah, voting patterns show that his majority in the Tambunan seat has dropped over the years along with the rising voice of dissent against the federal BN government.

Meanwhile, Ongkili said that the party was almost ready to reveal its candidate list, having confirmed “80 per cent” of its candidates.

“We will reveal it about five days before nomination day. We have nearly completed our list — only four areas still need fine-tuning. We will be fielding winnable candidate, a mix of seasoned politicians, wanita and youth members,” he said.

He did not confirm whether he will be defending his Kota Marudu parliamentary seat or moving to a state seat.