LABUAN: Parti Pribumi Malaysia Bersatu (Bersatu) Chairman here, Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman, is making a political comeback by contesting the Labuan parliamentary seat in the 15th General Election (GE15) using the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) symbol.
Suhaili said GRS is the ruling party in Sabah, which means whatever the outcome of the polls at the federal level, Labuan would not be a loser.
“On the other hand, the island stands to gain both from the federal and state government being friendly to both.
“GRS is a coalition of state parties with Bersatu and BN, while at the federal level Bersatu is also in collaboration with the ruling government,” he added.
Bersatu was established here in 2019 when Perikatan Nasional formed the federal government.
Suhaili had served in Labuan MP for two terms after winning the 1999 and 2004 general elections with handsome majorities.
He also served as Labuan Corporation Chairman in 2003 and well remembered for being vocal on issues relating to the island. According to statistics, Labuan presently has 44,501 voters.
Being a Federal Territory (FT), its development funds come from the FT Ministry but the island is also economically linked to Sabah.
The oil and gas hub here depends on the supplies from offshore fields in Sabah as well as the fresh water supplies.
Sabah is also a significant contributor to the local tourism industry.
Suhaili is presently the Chairman of state-owned Asian Supply Base Sdn Bhd, which serves as the anchor of the oil and gas industry here and has a workforce of over 1,000 people.
With Suhaili entering the foray, the urban seat is expected to be a four-concerned fight involving also Umno, Warisan and PKR.