KR has left its Sabah members free to decide whom to support in constituencies where Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Barisan Nasional (BN) candidates are going head-to-head in the Nov 29 state election.
No blanket directive from headquarters
PKR secretary-general Fuziah Salleh said the party’s central leadership will only decide on endorsements based on which candidate stands the better chance of winning.
“There is no blanket order. We handle it seat by seat, looking at who is more winnable,” she told reporters after opening the Asean E-Commerce Conference 2025 at Grand Hyatt Hotel today.
She added that final decisions on support will be made “when the time comes”.
Speaking later to FMT, Fuziah stressed that PKR respects its partnerships with both GRS and BN at the federal level, as well as the freedom of its grassroots to back the candidate they prefer.
“We celebrate the political dynamic in Sabah,” she said.
Tempasuk branch backs BN candidate
Pakatan Harapan, which includes PKR, signed separate electoral understandings with both BN and GRS for the Sabah polls, even though the two coalitions are contesting against each other in several seats.
Last Friday, the Tempasuk PKR branch openly declared support for the BN candidate in the constituency, where GRS is also fielding a contender.
Tempasuk PKR information chief Aziz Bilin said the branch’s choice was influenced by the cooperation between Pakatan Harapan and BN at the federal level.
The seat will see a seven-cornered fight, with GRS incumbent Arsad Bistari defending the seat he won in 2020 under the BN banner.
