Kuala lumpur: DAP will defend all six seats it previously won in the upcoming Sabah state election. DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook announced that the party will also contest one or two additional seats in the election, having identified at least two state seats in interior areas that could potentially be contested by the party's candidates. According to BERNAMA News Agency, Loke stated, "For DAP in Sabah, we don't have many, we have incumbent seats, only six seats that we won in the last state election. This time we will contest to defend all six seats plus one or two more seats that we have negotiated and we have discussed to ensure a joint victory," during the 23rd Perak DAP State Annual Convention. In the 16th Sabah election, DAP contested seven seats and won six, namely Luyang, Likas, Kapayan, Sri Tanjong, Elopura, and Tanjong Papat. However, two former elected representatives from Elopura and Sri Tanjong joined Parti Warisan in 2022. When asked by reporters if DAP would tighten its candid ate selection following the party's previous betrayal, Loke expressed confidence in the party's replacement leaders in Sabah. He noted that the party constitution includes a clause for disqualifying members who betray the party after winning on its strength. Disqualified members lose their seats under the Anti-Party Hopping Law, necessitating a by-election. Loke emphasized that incumbency would be the main basis for negotiations between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) to face the Sabah state election. He expressed confidence that this approach would strengthen cooperation between the two coalitions for the long term. Additionally, DAP deputy chairman and Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming mentioned in his speech that Perak UMNO treasurer Datuk Sham Mat Sahat informed him of a consensus within the Perak UMNO liaison committee for BN to collaborate with PH in the upcoming GE16. Nga expressed hope that this partnership would enable them to govern Perak and achieve a two-thirds majority in the comin g term.