Upko said to be eyeing PKR’s Inanam seat in Sabah polls

Upko has reportedly decided to field Sepanggar chief Wong Thien Fook as its candidate in Inanam, while PKR intends to field Peto Galim in sticking to the incumbency rule.

PETALING JAYA: Upko is said to be eyeing the Inanam seat which PKR’s Peto Galim is widely expected to defend in the coming Sabah state election.

Utusan Borneo reported that Upko had decided to field its Sepanggar chief, Wong Thien Fook, for the seat, which had been held by PKR since 2013.

If Upko were to go ahead with this, it would either mean PKR dropping Peto from defending the seat to make way for Wong, or the two Pakatan Harapan allies clashing at the polls.

PKR has said it will be sticking to the rule of incumbency in selecting its candidates for the election, hinting that Peto, the deputy chief of the state chapter, would be fielded.

Peto, a state assistant minister, was elected Inanam assemblyman in 2020 with a strong majority of 5,638 votes in a crowded 10-cornered contest.

The Inanam seat falls within the parliamentary constituency of Sepanggar, which is represented by Sabah PKR chief Mustapha Sakmud.

Separately, Mustapha said PKR has advised Upko to avoid clashing with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, with whom PH has reached an electoral pact for the state election.

He said it was ultimately up to Upko to decide whether to field certain candidates, even if it may hamper PH’s partnerships.

“For PKR, we respect and honour the discussions among our partners. There is a rule of incumbency in fielding our candidates,” he said, according to NST.