PETALING JAYA: The ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah will adopt the “3R” approach - retain, regain and reinforce - to prepare for the 16th general election and increase the number of MPs, its secretary-general, Armizan Mohd Ali, said.
Armizan said GRS wanted to retain its seven parliamentary seats - Tuaran, Penampang, Ranau, Batu Sapi, Sipitang, Tawau and Papar - and capture new ones.
He hinted at constituencies where GRS had previously made way for its allies. These seats are Libaran, Kalabakan, Pensiangan, Tenom, Beaufort, Keningau, Kimanis, Putatan, Kota Belud, Kota Marudu, Kudat and Beluran.
“We need to ‘reinforce’ our approach and strategy to strengthen our base in other areas,” he said at the GRS convention in Kudat yesterday, referring to Sepanggar, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu and Semporna.
The Papar MP said it was important for GRS to increase its parliamentary representation to ensure that issues affecting Sabahans could be raised at the national stage.
“We also need significant representation in the federal government to increase our bargaining power to better champion Sabah’s interests and those of the people,” he said.
He said that based on the results of the last state election, GRS had the potential to win more than 15 seats in GE16.
Armizan also reminded GRS leaders and members to take heed of the coalition’s performance in the November 2025 state electioin, where it won 29 of the 55 seats it contested.
He said GRS had the potential to winn more seats if not for several “factors” at the eleventh hour that affected its electoral performance.
“We need to learn from the past to prevent any mistakes from repeating,” he said, adding that GRS could have avoided some of the losses it suffered.