PETALING JAYA: Bersatu vice-president Ronald Kiandee has called on a Perikatan Nasional component party to explain its proposal for peninsula-based political parties to refrain from contesting in the next Sabah election.
Kiandee said the call by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Yong Teck Lee was made in the party’s capacity as a member of the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
SAPP is part of PN at the federal level, but is aligned with GRS in Sabah.
“Sabah PN is of the position that Yong has a responsibility to explain his position to PN,” Kiandee said in a statement.
“We would like to emphasise that no party can prevent other political parties, including PN, from participating in Sabah’s democratic process.”
He said PN will be standing in the next Sabah election, which must be held by 2025.
As the coalition with the most support in the six state elections on Saturday, Kiandee said, PN intends to strengthen its position in other states, including Sabah.
On Sunday, Yong said he felt Sabah’s state election should be contested by “local-based parties”, while peninsula-based parties should stay out, The Borneo Post reported.
“I will propose that GRS-friendly parties including PH, BN and PN stay out of the race. This is to avoid any overlapping of candidates contesting in the election,” the former Sabah chief minister said.
“There are local parties Sabahans can choose from … present your election manifesto and let the rakyat decide.”