Latest news with #Pakatan
The Star
8 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Pakatan to handle GRS-Barisan rifts
KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Harapan will have to walk a tightrope in juggling the electoral cooperation between rivals Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), says state Umno leader Datuk Salleh Said Keruak. With the GRS opting to forge an electoral pact with Pakatan in the coming state election, he said Barisan will leave it to Pakatan to manage the cooperation between the three parties. 'For Barisan, we made the choice to work with Pakatan early on. 'It was on the basis that we are the foundation of the unity government at the federal level. 'So this cooperation is a logical and responsible continuation. 'How Pakatan manages cooperation with Barisan and GRS is none of our business. 'What is important for Barisan is a sincere cooperation,' he said in a Facebook post. At present, there are two alliances in preparation for the Sabah polls: Pakatan and Barisan, and Pakatan and GRS. Salleh, who is Sabah Umno treasurer and a former Sabah chief minister, said their focus is to strengthen the party on the ground. 'We want to win and help our coalition partners. 'We are not a two-faced player. 'Our approach is clear – honest, open and for the good of the people of Sabah,' he said. Both GRS and Sabah Barisan, who were partners in the 2020 state election, have refused to work with each other after Sabah Barisan withdrew its support for Hajiji in January 2023. Sabah Pakatan filled the vacuum and kept Hajiji's state government afloat. Salleh said that GRS' decision to forge an electoral pact with Pakatan reflected that they have chosen to work with national parties and rejected the all-local party formula adopted in Sarawak. 'GRS' decision to choose Pakatan as a partner for the Sabah election deserves respect. 'They ultimately rejected the solo path and chose to work with national parties. 'Of course, they have their own basis, and the people will judge,' he added. Salleh said GRS' decision rejects the Sarawak formula that distances itself from national parties. 'They (GRS) chose to work with national parties. 'We in Barisan have been consistent from the beginning that a coalition with Pakatan is the best approach for stability,' he said. His posting comes in response to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor's confirmation on Sunday about an electoral pact with Pakatan. There has been no immediate reaction by GRS component party partners on Hajiji's announcement of the electoral pact. Salleh believes that GRS chose Pakatan as a partner because they wanted to work with the Prime Minister's party to ensure good relations with the federal government. 'This is in line with the need to guarantee political stability and development for Sabah,' he said.
The Star
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
GRS supreme council yet to endorse electoral pact with Pakatan, says SAPP chief
KOTA KINABALU: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) supreme council has yet to discuss and collectively agree to endorse the electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan, says Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee. The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president said so far, the GRS supreme council had not held a meeting to endorse the electoral pact with Pakatan announced by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor on Sunday on the sidelines of the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah annual general meeting. "There has not been a meeting of the Supreme Council in the last few months. If and when there is a meeting, of course, we will attend. "As for what might happen, it depends. For example, what has been agreed between the GRS chairman and Pakatan? Was anything agreed at all?" Yong asked. Hajiji's announcement of the pact took several of the eight party GRS leaders by surprise. The leaders declined to make any immediate comments, saying they wanted clarification on the matter first. Yong said that Hajiji had discussed the matter with GRS component party presidents but nothing was finalised until approved by the GRS supreme council. He also said it was confusing as Pakatan and Barisan have said that they have finalised seat allocation for the Sabah polls. GRS had shown signs it was keen to go solo but Hajiji had constantly voiced preference to continue working with Pakatan for political stability. GRS and Barisan, who worked together to topple the state government under Warisan-Pakatan government in the September 2020 state polls, have been at loggerheads since Barisan pulled its support for Hajiji in January 2023. Sabah Pakatan gave their backing to GRS for the Hajiji-led government to remain in power.
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah polls: PH has a delicate balancing act to pull off, says former CM Salleh
KOTA KINABALU: It will be up to Pakatan Harapan to walk the tightrope in juggling electoral cooperation between Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), says Datuk Salleh Said Keruak. The Sabah Umno treasurer said that with GRS opting to forge an electoral pact with Pakatan in the coming state election, Barisan will leave it to Pakatan to manage the cooperation among the three parties. ALSO READ: Sabah polls: GRS and Pakatan to continue electoral pact "For Barisan, we chose to work with Pakatan early on... (as) we are the foundation of the unity government at the federal level. So this cooperation is a logical and responsible continuation," the former chief minister said in a Facebook post on Monday (July 28). "How Pakatan manages cooperation with Barisan and GRS is none of our business. "What is important for Barisan is sincere cooperation, and our focus is to strengthen the party on the ground. "We want to win and help our coalition partners. We are not a two-faced player. "Our approach is clear – honest, open, and for the good of the people of Sabah." GRS and Sabah Barisan were partners in the 2020 state election. ALSO READ: GRS partners surprised over Hajiji's GRS-PH pact announcement They have refused to work with each other since Sabah Barisan withdrew its support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in January 2023. Sabah Pakatan filled the vacuum and kept Hajiji's state government afloat. Salleh said the GRS decision to forge an electoral pact with Pakatan reflected that it has chosen to work with national parties and reject the "all local" approach adopted in Sarawak. "The GRS decision to choose Pakatan as a partner for the Sabah election deserves respect. "It ultimately rejected the solo path and chose to work with national parties. Of course, it has (its reasons)... and the people will judge," Salleh added. "We in Barisan have been consistent from the beginning that a coalition with Pakatan is the best approach for stability," he said. ALSO READ: Former leader's opposition to Borneo bloc prompted GRS to back unity government, Hajiji says His comments followed Hajiji's confirmation on Sunday (July 27) that an electoral pact with Pakatan had been confirmed and they were just ironing out the details. There has been no immediate official reaction by GRS coalition partners to Hajiji's announcement. Salleh believes that GRS chose Pakatan as a partner because it wanted to work with the Prime Minister's party to ensure good relations with the Federal Government. "This is in line with the need to guarantee political stability and development for Sabah," he said. Over the last few weeks, Sabah Barisan and Pakatan have reached several agreements on seats to be contested in their negotiations in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia.
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Pakatan eyes 25 seats in polls pact with GRS
KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Harapan aims to contest up to 25 seats in an electoral pact with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS). Sabah PKR chief Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said he expected the seat distribution to be ironed out soon. 'It has to be discussed with GRS, mainly PGRS (Gagasan Rakyat). We welcome the cooperation. The next step is to discuss seats,' he said after the Gagasan Rakyat annual general assembly here yesterday. Mustapha said Sabah Pakatan would like to contest between 23 and 25 of the 73 seats up for grabs. Sabah PKR won two seats – Inanam and Api Api – in the 2020 state election. It was earlier reported that PKR was eyeing between 13 and 18 seats, with Amanah seeking five, DAP six to eight and Upko up to eight. Mustapha said the pact with GRS was a positive development for political stability in Sabah. 'I want to thank the chief minister for upholding cooperation between GRS and Pakatan. As a Pakatan leader, I welcome it. I think it is good for Sabah and Sabahans,' he added.
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
GRS, PH team-up for polls
Hajiji: We intend to maintain local party dominance in Sabah KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) has confirmed an electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan for the coming state polls, ending speculation over the tricky alignment between state and national coalitions in Sabah. Chief Minister and GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the local-based coalition will continue cooperation with Sabah Pakatan Harapan forged midway through its first five-year term, after Sabah Barisan Nasional withdrew its support in 2023. 'We will continue the cooperation between GRS and Pakatan as it stands,' he said after officiating the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) annual general assembly here yesterday. Hajiji said GRS component parties had consented to the arrangement as a strong collaboration between GRS and the national coalition would bring great benefit. On seat sharing between GRS and Pakatan, he said a formula was in hand with the exception of a few overlapping seats. In his keynote address at the annual meeting of Gagasan Rakyat, the anchor party of the ruling eight-party GRS, Hajiji hinted that the latter would continue working with Pakatan to ensure continuity and stability. However, he also touched on what he described as maintaining 'local party dominance in Sabah.' 'Our master is here, not there,' he told delegates in an apparent attempt to assure that Sabah-based parties will remain dominant in the state's political sphere. Hajiji, who is the Gagasan Rakyat president, said he was confident that GRS would win a second term with the people's strong backing. The eight-party GRS forged a coalition with Sabah Barisan Nasional to oust the Warisan-Pakatan Harapan state government in the 2020 snap state polls. Barisan pulled out its support in 2023 but GRS got the backing of Pakatan Harapan to retain its hold on the state government and complete its five-year term. 'We have built a strong home, rooted with the aspirations of the people. We have been realistic in our plans for the state and never made grand promises we could not deliver. We have prioritised the people's welfare,' Hajiji said, adding that the coming state election would be a litmus test for GRS. He also highlighted the importance of dominant local representation and protecting the state's rights, adding that GRS needed a big mandate to give Sabah a better bargaining position. The Chief Minister urged party members to counter what he termed as fake and false claims made against the party and its leaders. 'The fake and smear campaigns on social media by our opponents must be countered. 'This politically motivated propaganda is aimed at undermining GRS through misinformation and slander,' he said, adding that misinformation, including fake infographics and videos, were being used to sway public perception. Besides Gagasan Rakyat, the GRS coalition comprises Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah STAR, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), Usno, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS). PGRS holds 26 of the 42 state seats held by GRS. The 17th Sabah state election must be held before the automatic dissolution of the state assembly on Nov 11.
