Umno Sabah to retain 40 per cent of incumbents in upcoming state election

KOTA KINABALU - Umno Sabah will retain approximately 40 per cent of its incumbents for Barisan Nasional (BN)-held state assembly seats in the upcoming Sabah state election, with the final decision still pending from the party’s central leadership.

Umno Sabah Chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin shared that seat allocation discussions are still in progress, as BN’s central leadership has yet to reach a final decision.

Bung Moktar presenting contributions to the underprivileged during the Umno Zone 2 Ramadan Iftar event (Sepanggar, Kota Kinabalu, Putatan, and Penampang) in Kota Kinabalu.

He said that while meetings had been held on the matter, they are still awaiting confirmation from the party’s top leadership.

“The President of the Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), along with the Umno President and four other coalition party leaders, are still in talks.

"Usually, we wait for a decision from BN at the central level first and only then do we determine whether we agree or not before responding to the proposal," he told reporters yesterday after attending Umno’s Zone 2 Ramadan Iftar event (Sepanggar, Kota Kinabalu, Putatan and Penampang).

When asked about Umno Sabah’s autonomy in determining which seats to contest, Bung Moktar clarified that while autonomy exists, final discussions must take place at the party leadership level before any decision is presented to BN Sabah.

"We do have autonomy, but in reality, the party presidents will discuss first and then propose a decision to the state BN.

"Umno Sabah will consider the proposal and if it increases BN’s chances of winning, we will agree. If not, we will respond accordingly," he added.

On the selection of candidates, Bung Moktar confirmed that between 30 and 40 per cent of incumbents would be retained.

He also assured that female candidates would be included in the lineup.

"So far, we have announced candidates for three seats, with around 30 to 40 per cent of incumbents being retained.

"There must be female candidates because it will be difficult for us if not.

"However, as for the percentage of the women's quota, we will assess based on two factors: the set quota and whether the female candidates have a strong chance of winning, as we do not want to lose any seats," he said.

Bung Moktar also confirmed that one of the three finalised candidates is himself.

When asked about the potential impact of the ongoing investigation into former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on the Sabah state election, Bung Moktar acknowledged that it could have repercussions.

"I can see that there will definitely be some effects, but we will try to manage this issue.

"Since the investigation is ongoing, I cannot comment further as we do not yet know the final outcome,” he said.