KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 — Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) have agreed not to contest against one another in the Sabah state election, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi claimed today.
He was reported as saying in a Malaysiakini report that the two coalitions and the Sabah party have resolved their overlapping claims on 11 seats.
Zahid said the groups reached the agreement after a 90-minute meeting attended by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who was in Sabah today.
“This is to avoid clashes among the parties. According to the announcements (of seats and candidates) yesterday, there are overlapping claims of seats among ourselves.
“All of this would be resolved as soon as possible,” Zahid was quoted as saying.
When asked if this meant PN parties were yielding their claim on the seats, he claimed the matter was “irrelevant”.
Yesterday, PBS announced that it would 15 seats, which would have put it in direct contention with PN and BN parties that announced their intended constituencies earlier.
The Sabah party would have come into conflict with Umno in three seats (Bengkoka, Tanjung Aru and Telupid), Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah in another three (Matunggong, Tandek and Kadamaian) and MCA in two seats: Kapayan and Karamunting.
Under the PN opposition alliance, Parti Solidarity Tanah Airku also overlapped with Umno in Paginatan and PBRS in Sook and Tulid.
The premature state election was triggered after Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, currently the caretaker chief minister, moved to dissolve the state assembly to frustrate former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman’s takeover bid.
The Election Commission (EC) has set nominations for Saturday and polling for September 26.
