Kota Kinabalu: Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) is advised to re-evaluate its intention to contest the Lumadan state seat in the upcoming election by considering the strength of grassroots support in the area.
Lumadan Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) Division Chief Mazlan Joehari Manan (pic) said any move to contest should be made with due regard to the local political reality.
He said the Lumadan seat, currently held by Datuk Ruslan Muharam of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, remains strongly backed by grassroots supporters.
“We welcome Amanah’s interest as a Pakatan Harapan (PH) component to serve in Lumadan, but they must first gauge their grassroots strength before declaring their intention to contest.
“The seat is currently held by Ruslan, who has strong grassroots support. Therefore, this momentum of support for GRS must continue without interference that may threaten this potential,” Mazlan said in a statement on Wednesday.
Amanah President Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu recently stated the party’s intention to contest the Lumadan, Tanjung Aru and Sulabayan seats in the 17th State Election (PRN17). Amanah is part pf the Pakatan Harapan coalition which has a political arrangement with GRS in the unity government.
Mohamad reportedly said discussions are still ongoing, but negotiations involving two other undisclosed seats under PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) have already been finalised.
Mazlan, who is also Special Officer to the Chief Minister, stressed that preserving the GRS-PH government’s stability requires any contesting efforts to be done through consultation and mutual understanding.
“As a component of GRS, I will continue to support and defend the Lumadan seat to remain under GRS in the coming State Election. It is only right, as the Lumadan seat belongs to GRS, and the candidate for PRN17 should rightfully come from GRS,” he said.
