<figure id="attachment_2948852" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2948852" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-2948852" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/7370d176-bung-moktar-radin-fb-291224-1.webp" alt="Bung Moktar Radin" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-2948852" class="wp-caption-text">Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman Bung Moktar Radin said the coalition would not be joining forces with local parties. (Facebook pic)</figcaption></figure>
PETALING JAYA: Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman Bung Moktar Radin has announced that the coalition will be cooperating with Pakatan Harapan in the upcoming state polls.
Bung said the collaboration was finalised last year, Berita Harian reported.
Bung, who is also Sabah Umno chief, said unofficial talks had been held with Sabah PH leaders several times before official discussions took place.
“Off late there have been rumours about Sabah Umno’s potential allies.
“Today, I would like to announce that we have decided to join forces with PH,” he was quoted as saying.
Bung also said that apart from PH, the coalition was open to working with other parties.
He added that while Sabah BN would not close its doors to working with others, it would not join forces with local parties due to “specific issues”.
“While there are those who are pushing for the state elections to be contested only by local parties, we have had issues with these parties.”
Bung, however, refused to identify which party he was referring to and was mum when asked if Warisan would also be working with PH and BN.
He went on to say that while BN is a national coalition, the chapter in Sabah is led by a Sabahan.
On the seats Sabah BN was eyeing in the 17th state election, Bung said it would contest the 41 seats it vied for in the last polls. In the 2020 state election, Umno contested 32 seats, while fellow components, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah and MCA, contested five and four seats, respectively.
“But our priority will be to give political parties with the most number of supporters a chance (to contest), because an election is more than just quotas, it is about winning.”
Bung, who is the Lamag assemblyman, also said he would be defending his seat.
Earlier this month, Bung said the state’s current political landscape did not allow any single party to win enough seats to form a government.
In December 2023, Warisan president Shafie Apdal announced his party’s intention to work with Sabah Umno in the state polls. However, BN later said its central leadership would decide on electoral alliances.
Warisan later decided to contest alone, while Sabah BN and the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition are both seeking an electoral pact with PH.
The term of the current state assembly expires in October.

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