Warisan’s seat allocation formula worse than BN’s, says Bumburing

KOTA KINABALU - Parti Warisan Sabah and other local opposition parties should come up with a better seat allocation agreement than the deal reached by Barisan Nasional component parties, said Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) president Wilfred Bumburing.

Responding to a report that Warisan had finalised its seat arrangements with Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH), Bumburing said having a good seat allocation agreement was essential to beat BN in the state.

“The number of seats Warisan wants is even more than what Umno is now holding, which is 31 seats out of 60.

“I have reliable information Warisan wants 42, which is 72%,” Bumburing told FMT.

“Even within PH in the peninsula, the component parties get between 15% and 32% of the seats each, nothing more than that.

“No one party there monopolises the seats but the formula Warisan is proposing is worse than BN’s formula and proposes no positive change that would woo the voters.”

Shafie yesterday announced that the seat negotiation matter was a “done deal” between Warisan and PH.

However, he declined to elaborate.

The Semporna MP said PCS and its coalition partner Parti Kerjasama Rakyat Sabah (PAN) did not figure in the deal yet but it was up to Bumburing’s party to enter the negotiations.

A few weeks ago, Shafie denied that his party was greedy for seats, as alleged by Bumburing, and said he did not know where the Tamparuli assemblyman had got the number of seats wanted by Warisan.

“What we want is only the Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) seats and not the Malay seats or the areas in the east coast, where Warisan can contest” said Bumburing.

“If we are to agree on seat allocations with Warisan, they have to let us contest in the KDM areas and they can take the others.

“We’re still open to negotiation with Warisan but they have to be fair.”

BN and some analysts have said the opposition was still divided and this could affect their attempt to replace BN, which has been administering Sabah for more than 20 years.

Last month, PCS and PAN signed a pact to share the 25 KDM-majority state seats.

Bumburing and PAN president Henrynus Amin inked the agreement, which will also see the pact’s candidates contesting under PCS’ symbol.

Another coalition which has not entered into a deal with the other opposition outfits is Gabungan Sabah, a local four-party pact.