Upko set for first supreme council meeting with GRS

 By Olivia Miwil

August 10, 2026 @ 11:15am

Upko president Datuk Ewon Benedick. NSTP File pic

KOTA KINABALU: The United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) is looking forward to its first supreme council meeting with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition.

Party president Datuk Ewon Benedick said Upko would first focus on completing its ongoing congress before discussing or deciding on parliamentary seat distribution.

"It is still too early to talk about it. We will cross the bridge when we get there.

"Certainly, at the moment, we will inform our colleagues and partners in GRS that we would like to contest in Penampang and Tuaran, our current parliamentary seats.

"But of course, we will discuss additional seats (for Upko)," he told reporters after the party's 32nd anniversary night at the Hongkod Koisaan Hall in Penampang near here.

In the 2022 parliamentary election, Ewon won Penampang while Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau won Tuaran, both under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) banner.

Upko withdrew from PH last year, ahead of Sabah's 16th General Election in November.

The party was accepted into GRS on June 18, becoming the coalition's sixth component after Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan), Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan) and Parti Cinta Sabah.

For the current term, GRS has seven parliamentary representatives in Sabah, including Ewon in Penampang and Madius in Tuaran, as well as its representatives in Papar, Sipitang, Tawau, Ranau and Batu Sapi.

Barisan Nasional has seven parliamentary seats in Sabah, followed by Parti Warisan with three, PH with three, two independents, and one each for Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku and Perikatan Nasional.

When asked whether there is a possibility for Upko to have seat swaps in the upcoming polls, Ewon said it was a normal thing to happen.

"I am representing Kadamaian. Historically, it was a swapped seat between Kadamaian and Bingkor," said the party's third president, whose post was unopposed for another term from 2026 to 2029.