PUTATAN: Local opposition party, Parti Kebangsaan Sabah (PKS), plans to contest all seats in the state in the upcoming 14th General Election.
Party president Thomas Anggan said his party would field candidates in all 26 parliamentary and 60 state seats in Sabah.
He said PKS was going from strength to strength, adding that it initially planned to contest only 30 state seats.
Anggan was speaking to reporters after officiating his party’s new headquarters here. He had earlier presented appointment letters to 60 party division chiefs.
The multiracial party, which was formed in 2013, is one of several opposition parties that will be contesting the polls for the first time.
Other notable Sabah opposition parties include Parti Warisan Sabah and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah.
Warisan and Harapan Rakyat are helmed by former federal cabinet members Datuk Seri
Mohd Shafie Apdal and Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin, respectively.
Anggan is a former Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) leader who served as Bingkor assemblyman in 1985.
The retired senior police officer left PBS in 1996 when he had a falling out with PBS president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan.
Anggan, 78, is planning to run for the Bingkor state, which is currently held by Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
On his party’s plan to contest the Keningau parliamentary seat, which is currently held by Pairin, Anggan said he had not decided yet on the candidate.
Pairin is reported to be retiring from politics, but acting president Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili last month did not rule out the possibility of Pairin defending his seat.
Anggan, who hails from Kampung Sandapak in Keningau, said he would consider throwing his hat into the ring if no suitable candidate was found.
“Whether Pairin will run or not is not important. Our prospects are bright,” he said.
Anggan also said PKS had no plans to cooperate with other opposition parties in Sabah, adding that his party would rely on its on strength.
“The initial plan was to work with other opposition parties, but we decided it’s better to go on our own.
“But we may consider collaborating with like-minded opposition parties to form the state government.”
He said PKS, which aimed to reclaim the rights of Sabahans, had over 20,000 members across the state.
“We are optimistic about our chances… The trend is going back to the 80s, where the people are receptive to more traditional parties.
“While we do not talk a lot like Warisan or the United Sabah Alliance (USA), we have been campaigning on the ground and engaging the grassroots,” he said.