IPOH: DAP will defend all six seats it previously won in the upcoming Sabah state election.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook confirmed the party will also contest one or two additional seats in the election.
He stated DAP has identified at least two state seats in interior areas that could potentially be contested by the party’s candidates.
“For DAP in Sabah, we don’t have many, we have incumbent seats, only six seats that we won in the last state election.”
“This time we will contest to defend all six seats plus one or two more seats that we have negotiated and we have discussed to ensure a joint victory,“ he said when opening the 23rd Perak DAP State Annual Convention.
In the 16th Sabah election, DAP contested seven seats and won six seats namely Luyang, Likas, Kapayan, Sri Tanjong, Elopura, and Tanjong Papat.
Two former DAP elected representatives from Elopura and Sri Tanjong joined Parti Warisan in 2022.
Loke addressed concerns about candidate selection following previous party betrayals by expressing confidence in replacement leaders.
“Indeed, in the party we have a clause in our party constitution on someone who betrays the party after winning on the strength of the party.”
“If he jumps to another party then we can say that he is disqualified as a party member.”
“When disqualified as a party member in any state or Parliament level, they will lose their seats under the Anti-Party Hopping Law, so a by-election must be held.”
“In the state of Sabah there is also such an act,“ he explained.
Loke stated incumbency would be the main basis for negotiations between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional for the Sabah state election.
He expressed confidence this formula would strengthen long-term cooperation between the two party coalitions.
DAP deputy chairman Nga Kor Ming announced Perak UMNO’s unanimous consensus to work with PH in the upcoming 16th General Election.
“We hope that when BN joins forces with PH, we will not only be able to govern Perak, but will also win a two-thirds majority in the coming term,“ he said. – Bernama