KOTA KINABALU: Straight fights between the opposition and Barisan Nasional candidates will be seen in Sabah and Sarawak in the next elections, said PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Opposition Leader said he was confident that PKR, DAP and PAS would work towards agreeing on a single candidate from the opposition parties to contest a seat.

In the March elections, the opposition had each fielded candidates for a single seat when they failed to reach an agreement in both states, he said.

Anwar was confident that they would be able to talk to Sabah Progressive Party that left Barisan earlier this year to form an independent opposition front in the state.

“What makes you think it’s only one party (SAPP), there are others that we need to speak with,” he said, adding that other Barisan component parties could move the way SAPP did.

Anwar, who opened a PKR service centre in Damai, said they were ready to contest the Pensiangan seat, of which the result was declared null and void by the High Court here.

A candidate would be decided after the courts make a decision on the appeal by incumbent Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, he said.

“Tell me which by-election there is no friction,” he replied when asked about friction within the Sabah PKR leadership over the choice of potential candidate for the Pensiangan seat.

On another matter, he said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman was not keen to negotiate for a higher petroleum royalty for the state when he (Musa) claimed there was no provision for the state to re-negotiate on the matter.

“What is stopping any state government from re-negotiating any agreement. If he can’t do it, PKR can do it,” said Anwar, who is on a two-day visit.