SABAH POLLS: GRS READY TO CONTEST SOLO IF PH-BN ALLIANCE PROCEEDS – HAJIJI

KOTA KINABALU, May 9 (Bernama) -- Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is prepared to go solo in the next Sabah state election and focus on cooperating with other like-minded local parties if the announced Pakatan Harapan (PH)-Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance materialises.

GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the coalition stands by the principle that the state government should be led by local parties that understand the realities, culture and needs of the people, without sidelining the role and interests of national parties within a broader collaborative framework.

“GRS maintains that local parties must be the backbone of the state government.

“Departing from this principle would mean ignoring the aspirations of a large segment of the people of Sabah,” he said in a statement today.

Earlier, PH secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Unity Government Secretariat chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki announced in a joint statement that PH and BN had agreed to work together in facing the next Sabah state election.

Hajiji, who is also the Sabah Chief Minister, said the current state government must continue to be strengthened as it brings stability and contributes to the strength of the federal-level Unity Government.

“What GRS is fighting for is political stability and the well-being of the people, for the sake of Sabah’s future. Ignoring local aspirations in the context of Sabah politics is inconsistent with grassroots sentiments,” he said.

Hajiji said GRS would convene a leadership meeting soon to determine the coalition’s direction in facing the next state election.

He added that GRS would also hold formal discussions with parties currently forming the state government to gather their views and positions.

-- BERNAMA