KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional is fine-tuning its political cooperation with Pakatan Harapan for the coming state election.

Sabah Umno chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said the party will hold discussions with the state Barisan committee to refine cooperation with Pakatan to ensure victory in the election, due next year with the current legislative assembly's term ending on Oct 9.

Bung Moktar said Sabah Umno was confident that Barisan-Pakatan cooperation would serve as the framework for the state's political stability and economic prosperity.

He said the matter of cooperation with Pakatan was discussed during the Sabah Umno meeting on Sunday (Sept 8) as well as preparations on the ground.

He said Sabah Umno also supported Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's statement that the Barisan-Pakatan campaign in Johor's Mahkota by-election will be used as a model and formula for the unity government machinery in the next election.

The Kinabatangan MP said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Sept 10) that the success of the model in the Mahkota by-election would be used as a guide for the Sabah election.

Bung Moktar also noted that Umno divisions in Sabah are prepared for the state election at the grassroots level.

"If there is any room for improvement, we will take immediate action to ensure the election machinery is prepared at all times," he added.

He also urged Sabah Barisan leaders to actively support the Mahkota campaign to enhance unity government collaboration and secure a win for the candidate.

Sabah Pakatan is currently working with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state government under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor after Bung Moktar pulled Sabah Barisan out of the GRS coalition in January last year.

Hajiji is keen on an electoral pact with Sabah Pakatan while some of his component parties including Sabah STAR, Parti Usno and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) are pushing for GRS to go it alone in the polls.

Bung Moktar has refused to work with Hajiji, claiming that GRS did not keep its promises to Sabah Barisan when they worked together to topple the Warisan-Pakatan state government in the September 2020 snap state election.

Warisan, which is also part of the unity government at federal level, has remained in the opposition at the state level and has shown little indication of wanting to form an electoral pact with local or national parties.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/09/10/sabah-barisan-to-fine-tune-polls-pact-with-pakatan-says-bung