Sabah polls: BN not closing door to collaborating with other parties - Ahmad Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional (BN) is not closing its doors to collaborating with any coalition or party in the coming 17th Sabah state election, said BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the recent Unity Government secretariat meeting had also decided that the cooperation between BN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) would be strengthened at the state level, including in Sabah.

“As stated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as chairman of the coalition of parties under the Unity Government, it is, basically, a collaboration between PH and BN. That’s the basis.

“This (collaboration) must be strengthened at the central and state levels and this is what is going to happen in Sabah,” he told a media conference after chairing the Youth Development Cabinet Committee Meeting No 2/2024 and the launching of the Youth Socio-Economic Empowerment Plan 2030 at the Parliament Building here today.

The Deputy Prime Minister said this when asked about the statement by Sabah UMNO Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin that Sabah BN is ready to go solo in the state election.

On the statement by the Johor Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah), which is prepared to contest 20 seats in the coming Johor election, Ahmad Zahid said that was a personal statement.

“I have said that as long as the chairman, president or secretary-general of any party has yet to issue a statement, we will consider other statements as being personal viewpoints and not party policies,” he said.

Yesterday, Johor Amanah deputy chairman Dzulkefly Ahmad said the party did not rule out the possibility of contests between PH and BN in the coming state and general elections since Johor has yet to form a Unity Government.

Dzulkefly also aimed to contest at least 20 out of the 56 seats in the Johor State Legislative Assembly, with or without an alliance with BN or the original PH coalition.