KOTA KINABALU, Nov 6 — Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) will announce its candidates for the 17th Sabah state election on Nov 12, three days before nomination day.
Chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the coalition preferred to make its announcement later, when commenting on other parties’ schedules.
“We have already distributed the seats. If others want to announce theirs, they can go ahead. We’ll make our announcement late, on November 12,” he said.
He was speaking after officiating the launch of the Kuala Penyu and Menumbok Sub-District Strategic Development Plan 2025–2035, as well as the keys handover for the SMJ houses, the land gazette presentation, and the Limus Jury Foundation aid presentation at the Menumbok tamu site on Thursday.
Hajiji, who is the caretaker chief minister, expressed confidence that the coalition would regain the people’s mandate to govern Sabah, citing the strength of its candidates.
“We are only fielding candidates who can win, including here in Kuala Penyu. I’ve already given a hint earlier and we are confident of victory in this election,” he said.
“If we win, we will continue implementing the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 2.0 development roadmap to ensure the continuity of Sabah’s development programmes,” he added.
Political activity in Sabah is set to intensify this weekend as other parties begin unveiling their candidates.
DAP is scheduled to announce its candidates on Saturday, followed by PKR and Barisan Nasional (BN) on Sunday.
Upko and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Malaysia will reveal their line-ups on November 13, while Parti Warisan and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku have yet to set a date.
On another matter, Hajiji said the proposed construction of a bridge linking the Federal Territory of Labuan with mainland Sabah should be revisited with the federal government.
He said the bridge was vital not only to improve connectivity between the island and mainland Sabah but also to boost the economy of the Menumbok sub-district and Kuala Penyu area.
