Sabah Barisan Nasional ready for 14th general election

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional is all set to face the 14th general election (GE14) which is expected to be called soon, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said.

Musa, who is Sabah Umno chairman, said there was a good working relationship among all nine Sabah Barisan component parties and they were prepared to face the elections.

“The working relationship is good and support is good. The Barisan machinery is in place,” he told reporters after a meet-the-people session in Kampung Padas in Sandakan yesterday.

The Chief Minister, who declined to reveal the target for the coming elections, said however that he is confident it will be met.

“Barisan will achieve the success we are looking for,” he said.

Sabah Barisan won 48 of 60 state seats and 22 of 25 parliamentary seats in GE13, which also saw the Opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat making some inroads into the Barisan “fixed deposit” state.

However, many of the elected representatives from PKR and DAP have since left their parties to join either Barisan component parties or Sabah-based Opposition parties.

This time, the ruling coalition expects to face Parti Warisan Sabah, led by former Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, as well as local coalition Gabungan Sabah.

In his speech at the function, Musa urged community leaders to be on guard against certain quarters who make false promises and spread lies against the Government in their bid to gain support.

“People must be cautious of those spreading untruths,” he said.

At the function, Musa presented school bags and stationery to about 300 primary and secondary students from the village as well as cash assistance to senior citizens.