KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA stands a chance to be fielded in the Sabah state election as Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional are finalizing negotiations on seat allocation, says Sabah DAP deputy chief Datuk Chan Foong Hin.

Currently, there are several overlapping seats which have not been resolved, he said, adding that Barisan has revealed that one of the seats will be given to MCA candidate to be fielded under the Barisan.

When asked the state seat, Chan said he is not revealing the state seat at this moment.

He said this when asked about seat allocation by the media at parliament building when accompanying Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu to distribute avocado produced in Sabah to the media on July 29.

It was reported earlier that Chan said the Pakatan had held multiple formal rounds of seat negotiations with Barisan and talks with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) remained at an informal discussion stage.

“Whether Barisan would let MCA contest in the state seat after negotiation, this will be the internal matters of Barisan.

“This is similar to the situation in  Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). After negotiation, we will have to sort out seats where both parties are keen to contest,’’ he said.

Chan said similar principle would also apply on seat negotiation with GRS.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who is the chairman of Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) confirmed on July 27 that GRS and Pakatan Harapan in Sabah would be extending the collaborative ties in the 17th state elections as alliance.

The current five-year term of the 16th Sabah state assembly will expire automatically on Nov 11, paving the way for the 17th Sabah State Election.

Currently, Pakatan Harapan has a total of seven state seats – four by DAP, two by PKR and one by the United Progressive Kinabalu Organization (UPKO) while while Barisan has a total of 11 seats. 

In the Sabah state elections held in 2020, MCA contested four state seats—Elopura, Karamunting, Likas, Kapayan and lost all of them.