Keadilan to contest all

Parti Keadilan Rakyat must be confident of garnering enough seats in the coming general elections to form the next State Government in Sabah. What else can be said when the party had decided to contest in all the 40 State and 20 Parliamentary seats in Sabah. It look like they will be going alone in this election.

The opposition party's liaison chief for Sabah Haji Ansari Abdullah today made the announcement saying that he will be contesting in the Tuaran parliamentary seat. He contested in the Sulaman State seat for the party in the 2004 general election. He lost to Datuk Haji Noor who is now Local Government and Housing Minister.

Ansari today said that despite of another opposition party call for national-based party to only contest in parliamentary constituencies and let Sabah-based opposition parties contest in State seats, Keadilan will be fielding candidates in all constituencies.

Berman Angkap, Parti Barisan Rakyat Sabah's president, had last week said that only Sabah-based opposition parties should contest against Barisan Nasional in State seats. National-based opposition, he said, should focus on parliamentary seats.

"There is no point in asking Umno to return to West Malaysia but the same time allow Peninsula-based opposition parties to contest all State seats," Angkap said.

Ansari said Angkap party was entitled to their opinion, saying that when Keadilan contested in 2004, they fared better than Angkop party and the other opposition parties.

He said the independent candidate, who contested in Banggi and now Keadilan Banggi chief, lost by only about 300 votes to the Barisan Nasional candidate.

"Keadilan in Sabah is well prepared for the elections," Ansari said.

My Say:

All political parties will have the same assumption. There was this party called Parti Rakyat Sabah headed by Datuk Dr James Ongkili (the late) who was so confident in winning and forming the State Government, contested in all seats but lost all, its candidates almost all lost their election deposit.