PAPAR: Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) has denied claims that the state is being used as a testing ground for the pact's collaboration with Pakatan Harapan in preparation for elections.
Its chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said the BN-PH alliance is not new, having already been seen in several by-elections in Peninsular Malaysia.
He added that the collaboration will now be extended to the upcoming Sabah state election.
"This is a mutual understanding to ensure a stable government, wherever it may be.
"So, it's unlikely that in Sabah, Umno BN, and PH would clash," he said when met at the Sabah Umno Gerak 17 Programme for the Pantai Manis area.
He made these remarks when asked to respond to a statement by Gabungan Rakyat Sabah secretary-general, Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who recently disagreed with the idea of Sabah being a testing ground for political cooperation.
Bung Moktar clarified that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's earlier comments about the Sabah state election serving as a testing ground referred to a strategic approach for BN-PH in future elections, without any intent to offend Sabahans.