We are ready to discuss seats — Jeffrey

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KOTA KINABALU: The United Borneo Alliance (UBA) is ready to talk to Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and local opposition parties to achieve proper seat allocations for the opposition parties is Sabah, said UBA chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

“Let me make it clear again that we are for the one-to-one fight formula and that the opposition parties should definitely work together,” he said in a statement here.

“But the co-operation must be based on the understanding that we have to work on two different but connected levels,” he said.

Jeffrey was responding to PKR president Datuk Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s call for co-operation with STAR, and to DAP Labuan’s accusation that STAR’s Plan Z means he (Jeffrey) is helping BN to win.

During the launching of STAR’s three divisions (Penampang, Putatan and Kota Kinabalu) at the KDCA’s Cultural Village in Penampang last Saturday, Jeffrey said that if STAR is not given sufficient participation in seat allocation discussions among the opposition parties, or if such discussions fail, STAR may have to go for ‘Plan Z’ or the step of the last resort, which would be to contest all seats on its own.

“We need to throw all our combined weights to topple the BN federal and state governments,” he said.

“But this can best be done with the PR playing a minor role in the Sabah election, while the bigger role must be given to local parties.

“Explaining what he meant by co-operating on two levels, he said the PR must give the state seats to the UBA while it will concentrate on parliamentary seats.

“In fact, the ideal arrangement would be for the PR not to contest even the parliamentary seats, and the PR party members would be supporting the local parties contesting,” he said.

“This is the best way to win the election, and the people of Sabah are in fact now very excited about this strategy which has never been used before.”