Federal-Sabah ties must be inter-governmental, not intra-party, says Armizan

Free Malaysia Today

22-06-2025

Armizan Mohd Ali said GRS's 'Sabah first' model does not reject cooperation with national parties, but lays the foundation for local parties to form the backbone of the state government. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA : Cooperation between the federal and Sabah governments must take place on an inter-governmental and not intra-party basis, according to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah deputy secretary-general Armizan Mohd Ali.
Armizan, who is also the domestic trade and cost of living minister, said GRS's 'Sabah first' model does not reject cooperation with national parties, but lays the foundation for local parties to form the backbone of the state government.
'This approach is crucial to ensure that federal-state relations are conducted on an inter-governmental basis, not an intra-party one,' he said when opening the annual meeting of the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah's Darau division today.
'This is because we want issues concerning state interests to be negotiated and resolved through formal channels between the federal and state governments, not within the internal mechanisms of a single party.'
Armizan, who is also the Papar MP, said that when the same national party becomes the core of both the federal and state administrations, there is a tendency for issues affecting the state to be discussed and decided within party lines.
'If state matters are resolved through an intra-party process, the risk is that party interests will be prioritised over state interests. More worryingly, some national parties are deeply entrenched in a doctrine that places loyalty to the party above all else, without compromise,' he said.
He also said there have been instances when state issues are sidelined simply because the national party prioritises national interests above state concerns.
'A clear example of this is the decades-long struggle over the Malaysia Agreement 1963. Only recently have we seen meaningful federal commitment on MA63 under the leadership of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
'However, we cannot rely solely on the attitude or style of individual leaders, what we need is a structural solution,' he said.
He said if there is a framework to ensure that federal-state relations remain inter-governmental in nature rather than intra-party, then state interests will always remain a priority.
The state government, meanwhile, must function with state interests as its top priority.
'To national parties, (I say) lead the federal government. We will support and work with you. But let local parties lead the state government. This is the spirit behind the GRS and Pakatan Harapan Plus coalition government we have today,' he said.
Sabah Barisan Nasional treasurer Salleh Said Keruak said yesterday the 'Sabahan No 1' is not an empty slogan for BN as it represents the party's struggle to give priority to the interests of the people of the state.
Salleh, who had previously asserted that the struggle for the state's rights is not the domain of any one party but of all Sabahans, said Sabah BN moved in tandem with the federal unity coalition government, to ensure the state had a decisive voice in national affairs.