Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) is threatening to leave Gabungan Rakyat Sabah if the ruling state coalition goes ahead with its electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan for the upcoming state election.
STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan said he will meet the eight-party GRS presidential council tonight to discuss the matter, The Star reported.
“The way I look at it, when I met the chief minister (Hajiji Noor) a few days ago, they had already decided (on a GRS-PH pact). So, if they have decided, the presidential meeting will be just an endorsement (of the pact) now.
“But, if at the last minute, he (Hajiji) says, ‘Okay, we listen to the people, we go solo’, then I go along with it,” he was quoted as saying.
Kitingan’s shift in tone comes two months after he dismissed speculation that STAR would leave GRS following a viral TikTok clip suggesting the possibility if GRS were forced to work with Barisan Nasional and PH.
However, Hajiji later announced that his coalition and PH will form an alliance for the state election.
Kitingan, who is a deputy chief minister, said he had originally proposed that PH contest only its seven incumbent seats, using the GRS logo.
He said that while the GRS Supreme Council initially approved 15 of 73 state seats for PH, the coalition may now be allocated 21 to 23.
“The most I could have agreed to is if they (PH) maintain the seven seats,” he said, adding that all GRS parties were using the GRS logo, but PH did not want to.
Kitingan also said STAR’s stance is based on grassroots sentiment, and that he had highlighted this in a meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
“If GRS goes solo, I go along. If they don’t, then I can’t go along because that is going against the sentiment of the majority of the people. And I can’t go against them (the people),” he said.
