KOTA KINABALU, Dec 11 — The leaders of Pakatan Harapan (PH) component parties here have agreed unanimously to give way to Parti Warisan Sabah to contest the upcoming Kimanis by-election here.
In a meeting chaired by Sabah PH chairman Datuk Christina Liew, representatives from the state’s chapter of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara reached a consensus to support any candidate decided upon by Parti Warisan Sabah.
“The decision is based on a precedence in the Rantau by election whereby the party that contested in the last general election (GE14) will be the one to contest in the case of a by-election.
“The PH component parties will support the candidate put up by Warisan to ensure victory. The PH election machinery will also be activated soon for this reason,” said Liew.
Liew said that each party had sent five representatives from their leadership to attend the meeting and sign a statement to support the decision.
Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun represented Sabah Bersatu chairman Datuk Hajiji Noor while DAP’s Phoong Jin Zhe represented Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Frankie Poon.
The Sabah state government is made up of Warisan together with PH and Upko.
The Kimanis parliamentary constituency is due for a by-election after the Election Court here agreed with Warisan candidate Datuk Karim Bujang that there was non-compliance by the Election Commission (EC) in the submission of several forms.
The non-compliance affected over 300 ballots, affecting the results of the winner, then Umno candidate Datuk Anifah Aman, who saw victory by a narrow 156-vote margin.
Last Monday, the Federal Court heard an appeal by Anifah but upheld the Election Court’s decision, paving the way for fresh polls. The EC has yet to announce the date of the by-election.
Although it was widely believed that Warisan would contest the seat again given its narrow loss and its effort in putting forth the petition, there had been speculation that Sabah Bersatu would vie for the seat.
Last week, Sabah Bersatu secretary Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said he hoped Bersatu would be given the chance as its Kimanis division is one of the most active, with many outreach programmes conducted since the party set up its base in the state.
