PH Sabah Vows To Drive Core Policies Despite Limited Seats - Phoong

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 23 (Bernama) -- Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) is optimistic of delivering the policy commitments outlined in its manifesto, despite contesting a relatively small number of seats in the upcoming 17th State Election.

Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe said the coalition’s strength lies not in the number of seats it wins, but in the policy commitments that will form the basis of any post-election negotiations to form a government.

“This is our commitment. We are not contesting many seats; we may look small, but when we are invited to negotiate the next government, we need whoever wants to form the government to fulfil these commitments.

"We need to be seriously talking about what policy we want to deliver to the people, not just distribution of government positions, but we should seriously talk about policies,” he told reporters after launching the ‘Komitmen Pakatan Harapan Sabah’ manifesto, here today.

The manifesto, which outlines 10 priority commitments under seven core agendas, was also officiated by Sabah PKR chairman Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, Sabah Amanah chairman Datuk Lahirul Latigu, and Phoong.

Phoong said Sabah’s multi-party political landscape makes post-election negotiations inevitable, but such discussions must be carried out responsibly and anchored in progressive policy principles.

He explained that Sabah PH aims to promote a more mature political culture, where government formation is based on firm policy commitments, similar to practices in countries such as Germany and Italy, which often take months to reach a consensus.

Phoong said the PH Sabah manifesto prioritises economic development, including upgrading ports and developing efficient public transportation systems, such as light rail transit for Kota Kinabalu, to reduce productivity losses caused by traffic congestion.

“According to a World Bank report, traffic congestion costs our country around 1 to 2 per cent of GDP. Why? Because we lack an efficient public transportation system,” he said.

Phoong added that the mission to transform Kota Kinabalu into a more liveable and sustainable city has long been a central pursuit throughout his political career.

“I've been fighting this for the past 10 years when I was very young…this has always been something that is close to my heart because I believe that KK (Kota Kinabalu) people deserve a better city and a liveable city,” he said.

In the 17th state polls, PH is contesting 21 of the 73 state seats, comprising 12 PKR candidates, eight from DAP and one from Amanah.

Polling is on Nov 29, and early voting is on Nov 25.

For the latest updates on the state election, visit https://prn.bernama.com/sabah/index.php.

-- BERNAMA