Kota Kinabalu: Sabah PKR held a mini convention here, Sunday, kicking off a series of party activities aimed at rebuilding momentum following the party’s disappointing performance in the last state election, where it won only one seat.
Sabah PKR Chairman Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the mini convention, which also served as the launch of the party’s Annual General Meeting process, was attended by leaders and saw the induction of several new members from among community figures.
“This is part of our planned agenda whereby we hold the mini convention to gather our leaders together,” he said, adding that branch-level AGMs across Sabah would follow before a full party congress in June.
“We are trying to lift the spirits of our members after the state election, where we only won one seat,” he said.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who joined the convention, urged party machinery to begin preparing for the next general election (GE16) and called on members to deepen their understanding of issues related to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), including Sabah’s claim for a 40 per cent revenue return.
“The Prime Minister also touched on the 40 per cent issue. More or less, it is in line with what I have said in my earlier media statement,” said Mustapha.
The 40 per cent issue has gained fresh urgency in recent weeks.
Mustapha, who is Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs), said earlier this month that the Federal Government’s position on the matter remains unchanged, with discussions continuing through established negotiation mechanisms.
He was quoted as saying that a subcommittee has been formed to examine financial data from agencies including the Inland Revenue Board and the Customs Department, while the Ministry of Finance is expected to submit further reports to support the process.
On the Prime Minister’s meeting held at the Menara Kinabalu on Sunday, Mustapha said that discussions with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor touched on development issues, ongoing projects and the MA63 revenue matter, though he declined to elaborate on the Chief Minister’s response, saying reporters should direct that question to Hajiji directly.
On the party’s progress at State level, Mustapha said Sabah PKR currently has about 150,000 members across its branches, noting that membership numbers have seen an increase.
Asked whether he intended to contest the Sepanggar parliamentary seat again in the next election, Mustapha said he remained interested, subject to the party president’s approval.
“If the President allows, God willing, I am still interested in contesting in Sepanggar. But ultimately, it is the people who decide,” he said.
