KOTA KINABALU, Oct 9 — Parti Warisan (Warisan) president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has suggested that the Bugaya state by-election in Sabah be held together with the 15th General Election (GE15).

He said this would save costs in conducting the by-election.

"We have identified several prospective candidates, including for Batu Sapi (parliamentary seat). We are ready for the by-elections,” he told a press conference here today.

However, Mohd Shafie, who is Semporna Member of Parliament, said it was up to the Election Commission to fix the election dates to fill the vacancy in Bugaya.

The Bugaya seat fell vacant after its representative, Manis Muka Mohd Darah of Warisan, died of a kidney disease on Nov 17, 2020.

Last Thursday, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah cancelled six Covid-19 emergency ordinances and proclamations which had prevented by-elections from being held for the Batu Sapi and Gerik parliamentary seats and the Bugaya state seat.

On Budget 2023, Mohd Shafie said although it is the largest ever in the country’s history, the RM6.3 billion allocation for Sabah was insufficient, especially in terms of development expenditure. — Bernama