KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) has hit back at Parti Warisan, accusing it of being “a nest of defecting leaders” after the latter labelled GRS a “party of defectors”.
In a video posted on social media last night, GRS secretary-general Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali as saying those making such accusations should first reflect on their own record.
“When pointing fingers at GRS, I think those who make such remarks — including veteran politicians — should look at themselves. Have they never switched parties, or is their party so pure that it has never accepted defectors from elsewhere?
“There’s no need to elaborate further. If they once accused GRS of being a party of defectors, then their party, particularly Warisan, has now become a nest of defecting leaders.
“Congratulations and best of luck. The truth is, party-hopping and Warisan are inseparable,” said the Papar MP, who is also domestic trade and cost of living minister.
Armizan also questioned what new tactics Warisan might adopt to stay in power, including leading the state government after the upcoming 17th Sabah state election at the end of this month.
He said Warisan, which had previously been known to lobby lawmakers from other parties, could no longer rely on such methods since the Sabah state assembly passed the anti-party-hopping law in May 2023.
“Today, Warisan claims to be proudly contesting all 73 state seats and says it won’t work with anyone. But based on its past behaviour, its stand has never been consistent.
“Although party-hopping is now banned by law, will Warisan use new tactics to gain support from assemblymen of other parties in an attempt to return to power? That’s something only Warisan’s leaders can answer,” he said.
Armizan further criticised Warisan for branding GRS as a “traitor party”, questioning whether the party led by Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal was “free of wrongdoing”.
He said that while GRS was a relatively new coalition, many of its leaders had come together from other parties to form a new, locally rooted platform centred on Sabah’s political identity.
