Upko secretary-general Nelson Angang said the party managed to secure two parliamentary seats in the 2022 general election (GE15) after winning only one of the 12 state seats it contested in the Sabah polls in 2020.

“Many predicted it (GE15) would mark the demise of Upko.

“Winning two parliamentary seats with Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the last general election was something that most did not believe was possible,” he told FMT, referring to the Penampang and Tuaran constituencies.

Upko president Ewon Benedick wrested Penampang back from the opposition, which had held the seat for the last nine years, after defeating Warisan’s Darell Leiking, a former federal minister.

Nelson was responding to a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leader who said that Upko should stop demanding to contest more seats in the next Sabah state elections.

Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah Supreme Council member John Ambrose said Upko should not demand seats if the PH component had “no chance of winning” them, adding that it could drag the whole coalition down.

Ambrose also said Upko only managed to win one seat in the last state elections as it ran alongside Warisan and other PH components.

However, Nelson said that some would view the decision to contest alongside Warisan and other PH components as “the wisdom of the Upko leaders in choosing the right partners and to be part of PH.”

He also said that by disrespecting Upko, Ambrose had disrespected the rest of the parties in PH.

Nelson went on to say that the current political scenario in the country and Sabah was something new and unique and therefore required a fresh approach.

“If there are those who still cling to the old ways of thinking that one party can dominate and make a unilateral decision while ignoring the views of others in a coalition, then be prepared to face extinction,” he said, adding that at least Upko was honest and made its intentions clear.