GRS rejects Anwar's BN pact, citing voter confusion and 'three-way love affair'
Masiung (left) during a meeting with community leaders in Tongod on Monday.
TONGOD - Gagasan Rakyat Vice President Datuk Masiung Banah has rejected Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's idea of forming a political pact between Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN), ahead of the 17th Sabah State Election.
He made clear that a partnership involving BN was not feasible, stressing that it would confuse voters and undermine existing understandings between GRS and PH. As Sabah prepares for its 17th State Election, shifting alliances among GRS, PH, BN and PN are shaping what could be one of the state's most complex and consequential polls. Bernama photo
'It is impossible for an understanding to be reached because it will confuse voters. GRS and PH have already reached a consensus to continue their political collaboration,' he told reporters after meeting community leaders in Tongod on Monday.
Masiung pointed out that if such a three-way alliance were to materialise, GRS and Gagasan Rakyat would still refer to Anwar's own statement made on May 11 in Tawau, where the Prime Minister had entrusted Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor with leading the seat negotiations.
GRS and PH, he said, have already developed a close and effective working relationship in governing the state.
He was also firm in describing the proposed coalition with BN as a 'three-way love affair' a relationship Gagasan Rakyat is not willing to enter.
'GRS and PH Sabah have already developed a strong political cooperation in managing the previous State Government administration.
'GRS has also lost trust in BN-Umno for previously betraying the alliance with GRS and PH through the 'Langkah Kinabalu' move,' he said.
Referring to the political manoeuvre known as Langkah Kinabalu, Masiung accused BN leaders of fanning hostility and undermining GRS since the incident.
'Since that event, which the party's leaders orchestrated, they have continued to stir animosity and belittle GRS using various tactics and strategies,' he added.
Masiung also highlighted that Umno-BN Sabah had already announced their decision not to work with GRS.
'We hope the Prime Minister respects our stance and honours his promise to leave the seat negotiation process in the hands of Hajiji, as the GRS Chairman, to manage discussions with coalition parties ahead of the State Election,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Borneo Post
9 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Masiung rejects PM's proposal for GRS-BN-PH alliance
Masiung (right) meeting with community leaders in Tongod yesterday. TONGOD (Aug 4): Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) vice president Datuk Masiung Banah has rejected Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's proposal for Barisan Nasional (BN) to form a tripartite alliance with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) ahead of the 17th State Election. 'Such an understanding is unlikely to materialize as it would confuse voters. Moreover, GRS and PH have already agreed to continue their political cooperation,' Masiung said in response to the Prime Minister's suggestion made yesterday. He added that if a three-party alliance were to take shape, Gagasan Rakyat would stand by Anwar's earlier statement made in Tawau on May 11, where the Prime Minister expressed support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor to lead the seat negotiation process. During a special meeting with Sabah Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders in Kota Kinabalu yesterday, Anwar had expressed his intention to mediate negotiations between GRS, BN and PH to avoid three-cornered contests in the upcoming state election. However, Masiung firmly dismissed the idea, describing it as a political 'love triangle' that Gagasan Rakyat — the backbone of GRS — would not support. He emphasized that GRS and PH Sabah already have a solid foundation of political cooperation, particularly in the administration of the state government. 'GRS has lost trust in BN/Umno due to their betrayal during the 'Langkah Kinabalu' episode,' he said, referring to the political manoeuvre he claimed was orchestrated by BN/Umno to undermine the ruling coalition. Masiung pointed out that since the episode, BN/Umno leaders have continuously acted with hostility toward GRS, employing various tactics to destabilize the alliance. 'At the same time, Umno/BN Sabah has also declared that it will no longer work with GRS,' he noted. He urged the Prime Minister to respect GRS's position and honour his earlier commitment to allow GRS chairman Hajiji Noor to lead the seat negotiations among aligned parties ahead of the state polls.
Sinar Daily
10 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
GRS rejects Anwar's BN pact, citing voter confusion and 'three-way love affair'
GRS and PH have already developed a close and effective working relationship in governing the state. Masiung (left) during a meeting with community leaders in Tongod on Monday. TONGOD - Gagasan Rakyat Vice President Datuk Masiung Banah has rejected Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's idea of forming a political pact between Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN), ahead of the 17th Sabah State Election. He made clear that a partnership involving BN was not feasible, stressing that it would confuse voters and undermine existing understandings between GRS and PH. As Sabah prepares for its 17th State Election, shifting alliances among GRS, PH, BN and PN are shaping what could be one of the state's most complex and consequential polls. Bernama photo 'It is impossible for an understanding to be reached because it will confuse voters. GRS and PH have already reached a consensus to continue their political collaboration,' he told reporters after meeting community leaders in Tongod on Monday. Masiung pointed out that if such a three-way alliance were to materialise, GRS and Gagasan Rakyat would still refer to Anwar's own statement made on May 11 in Tawau, where the Prime Minister had entrusted Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor with leading the seat negotiations. GRS and PH, he said, have already developed a close and effective working relationship in governing the state. He was also firm in describing the proposed coalition with BN as a 'three-way love affair' a relationship Gagasan Rakyat is not willing to enter. 'GRS and PH Sabah have already developed a strong political cooperation in managing the previous State Government administration. 'GRS has also lost trust in BN-Umno for previously betraying the alliance with GRS and PH through the 'Langkah Kinabalu' move,' he said. Referring to the political manoeuvre known as Langkah Kinabalu, Masiung accused BN leaders of fanning hostility and undermining GRS since the incident. 'Since that event, which the party's leaders orchestrated, they have continued to stir animosity and belittle GRS using various tactics and strategies,' he added. Masiung also highlighted that Umno-BN Sabah had already announced their decision not to work with GRS. 'We hope the Prime Minister respects our stance and honours his promise to leave the seat negotiation process in the hands of Hajiji, as the GRS Chairman, to manage discussions with coalition parties ahead of the State Election,' he said.
Free Malaysia Today
11 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
GRS-PH-BN pact for polls unlikely, says Gagasan Rakyat VP
Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah vice-president Masiung Banah said an alliance that includes BN could confuse voters, when GRS and PH have already agreed to join forces for the state election. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A three-way pact among Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional for the upcoming Sabah state election is unlikely to materialise, says a GRS leader. Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah vice-president Masiung Banah played down Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's hopes of a pact among the three major coalitions to prevent seat clashes, saying his party would surely disagree with this move. Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah is one of the eight component parties in GRS. Masiung said such an alliance could confuse voters, when GRS and PH have already agreed to join forces for the state election, Sinar Harian reported. 'There's little chance of such a cooperation to be reached. But if it does materialise, we hold to the prime minister's statement on May 11 that (GRS chairman) Hajiji Noor should lead negotiations on seat allocation,' he said. The four-term Kuamut assemblyman said GRS and Sabah PH have already formed a solid working partnership, which his party intended to fully stick to. 'GRS has also lost confidence in BN-Umno because they betrayed the partnership they had forged with GRS through the 'Kinabalu Move'. 'At the same time, BN-Umno has also decided not to work with GRS. We hope the prime minister will respect our stand,' he said. Yesterday, Anwar said talks were ongoing among BN, GRS and PH to reach an understanding to avoid three-cornered contests in the state election. The PH chairman and PKR president previously hoped that all three coalitions would be able to work together for the polls. Hajiji, the Sabah chief minister, announced on July 27 that GRS and PH had agreed to form an alliance for the election. BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also said the coalition's cooperation with PH in Sabah was 'locked in'. However, as both BN and GRS are not formally working with one another, the two coalitions are expected to clash in the state election, due to be held by the end of the year. Sabah Umno and GRS used to be allies in the state government, but their partnership collapsed after Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin tried but failed to unseat Hajiji as chief minister in January 2023, in a move dubbed the 'Kinabalu Move'.
