KOTA KINABALU, March 14 — Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) plans to contest in Chinese majority seats in the upcoming state election.
These are among 16 state seats which the party is eyeing as announced recently by its President Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
“Our intention is based on the strong support we receive from the Chinese community.
“Our party has always been strong in the interior areas, among the indigenous community. But now, we’re witnessing a growing number of Chinese joining the party.
In fact, many of them have urged us to contest in their respective constituencies,” said Star Deputy President Datuk Kenny Chua in a statement today.
He noted that local party sentiment and Star’s consistent struggle for Sabah are among the factors that contribute to the party’s growing appeal to the Chinese community.
“Generally, whenever we listen to them, they tell us that they want a local party or coalition to govern the state.
Certain parties want to dismiss this. But this is the aspiration of the people we must respect.
“Many of them see our party and our president as synonymous with Sabah’s fight for all its rights. This what makes them want to be part of our struggle because it concerns their life and future,” he said.
However, he said that although the state political leadership will have the final say on the seat allocation, the voice and choice of the people in the Chinese-majority constituencies must be considered.
“I believe it should be a bottom-up process. But we will leave it to the top leadership to decide,” Chua added.
When announcing Star’s plan to contest in 16 seats recently, Jeffrey it would still be subjected to discussions with other parties.
In the 2020 election, Star contested eight seats and won six — the highest success rate among all its components which according to Jeffrey should justify the party’s intention to double the number this time. — The Borneo Post
