KOTA KINABALU, Feb 23 — United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) has hinted at contesting several seats in the coming state elections.Speaking at an Usno roadshow near Inanam on Saturday, party president Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said the location is the fourth pitstop in their tour – which started in Sekong (Feb 8), to Kunak (Feb 9), Kudat (Feb 15) and Kota Kinabalu (Feb 22) – to simultaneously launch six new Usno divisions in the state’s West Coast, which are two state constituencies in Tuaran and three in Sepanggar.Pandikar said the areas that they are touring does not necessarily mean they are areas they wish to contest, especially since there are seven other component parties in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition that Usno is part of, but he has suggested a list of names to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and will leave it to him to decide.He voiced support for existing GRS “generals” such as Datuk Gulam Haidar Khan Bahadar (Kawang) and Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif (Membakut) to defend their strongholds, as well as areas from Kimanis until Sipitang, while explaining that Usno’s role is to challenge areas currently held by the opposition.The former Dewan Rakyat Speaker said the Chief Minister has tasked Usno to enter areas where Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) is strong, noting that even though several Warisan assemblypersons have switched their support to the ruling coalition, he still considers their areas as Warisan strongholds, with some examples such as Norazlinah Arif (Kunak) and Datuk Ben Chong (Tanjong Kapor), as not all the rakyat who voted for the former Warisan candidates would still support the now GRS Yang Berhormats.“We are aiming for certain seats, but I cannot reveal them right now. It is normal for any party to want to contest.“And our record during the 16th state elections was sort of an advertisement of us to the community.“At the time, we were unprepared – I contested under the Usno ticket and lost.“But now, we are more ready to face the rakyat, following exposure from GRS tours,” he said.When asked if he would be contesting any seat, Pandikar said it will depend on the situation, especially as other GRS component parties have yet to announce their candidates, but once they do, then the selection committee led by Hajiji and the party presidents will judge who should contest what area, according to the winnable candidate philosophy.However, he said he would take up the mantle if given the mandate, as he considers himself still “strong even with a cane” and qualified to contest with a good oration ability, at the same time dismissing his age, 70, to be a likely detrimental factor for his candidacy abilities.Pandikar also did not deny contesting seats such as Pintasan (Datuk Fairuz Renddan) or Pulau Banggi (Datuk Mohammad Mohamarin), opining that at his age and political experience, he should be able to pick what area to contest in, and it is normal for politicians to contest in different areas throughout their political career. — The Borneo Post