Sabah UMNO chief Bung Moktar Radin has denied any disagreement with Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi regarding election cooperation, asserting that UMNO at both the federal and state levels “remain as one.”
“Our stance is that cooperation with other coalitions can happen even after the election,” he told FMT.
This statement comes after Zahid was quoted yesterday saying that seat allocation negotiations for the upcoming state polls between BN, Pakatan Harapan (PH), and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) were nearing completion.
However, Bung had previously stated on Wednesday that Sabah UMNO was ready to contest the election alone, following GRS’s announcement of an electoral pact with PH. At the time, he derided the GRS-PH alliance as a “panic pact” and declared that Sabah UMNO would not work with “dishonest and insincere” coalitions.
“An electoral pact must be built on sincerity and integrity, not just seat-sharing and candidate selection,” he told The Borneo Post.
The GRS supreme council, led by chief minister Hajiji Noor, confirmed its collaboration with PH in a meeting yesterday.
Zahid had earlier reiterated that BN’s pact with PH was “locked in,” which suggested a potential clash with GRS in the election. On Sunday, he had advised Sabah UMNO not to completely close the door on potential allies, noting that “there may be friends among enemies.”
Despite the apparent friction, Bung, who also serves as the Sabah BN chief, maintained that both Sabah UMNO and BN are “undisturbed” and fully prepared for the state election.
“We have faced many bigger challenges. Sabah UMNO and BN are 100% prepared for the Sabah election,” he affirmed.
