KOTA MARUDU: The Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS) Kota Marudu division has proposed that the party be given the opportunity to represent the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) for the Kota Marudu parliamentary seat in the forthcoming General Election (GE), based on the principle of fair power-sharing within the coalition.
This proposal was among the resolutions unanimously approved during the PGRS Kota Marudu Divisional Meeting chaired by Divisional Chief Sarapin Magana on Sunday.
The meeting emphasised that the allocation of seats and representation opportunities within GRS must take into account the position and contributions of each component party, to ensure that the power-sharing principle is implemented in a balanced and comprehensive manner.
According to the resolution, the state seats of Tandek and Matunggong are currently represented by representatives from the Sabah United Party (PBS) respectively, while the Bandau seat is represented by an independent representative.
This situation raises questions regarding PGRS representation space in the Kota Marudu Parliamentary constituency, considering that the party does not yet have representatives in any of the three aforementioned state seats or at the Parliamentary level.
Therefore, providing PGRS with the opportunity to contest the P.168 Kota Marudu Parliamentary seat in the forthcoming GE is among the steps that could be considered to realise more balanced power-sharing within GRS.
The resolution also emphasised that the Kota Marudu Parliamentary seat should not be automatically regarded as belonging to any particular component party; rather, it should be discussed and decided through a fair negotiation process among the coalition leadership.
The meeting hopes that this proposal will receive due consideration from the highest leadership of GRS, taking into account the interests of party strengthening, balanced representation, and the spirit of cooperation among component parties. – John Tambanan
Sarapin (seated 4th from right), with Kota Marudu PGRS’s divisional leaders.
