KOTA KINABALU: Outspoken United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) president Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia has backed Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s decision to go into an electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan.
“I support Hajiji’s stand in working together with any parties, so long as the deal benefits GRS in that the seats allocation ratio favours GRS,” he said Sunday (Aug 3).
Pandikar said that Hajiji discussed with him personally and assured that GRS would be putting candidates in more than 50 out of the 73 state seats.
“This to me is a stand that is within the scope of the definition of the GRS’s war cry ‘Rumah Kita, Kita Jaga,’ (Our Home, We Protect),” he said when contacted.
Pandikar, along with Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, have been pushing for the eight-party GRS to contest independently in the upcoming state election.
“I admit that I have amplified the voice of Datuk Dr Jeffrey, that whoever works with Malaya parties are traitor,” Pandikar said.
He said Usno’s views expressed during political roadshows were to gauge Sabahans’ opinions, and if they would support a local party if it were to go solo.
“Whilst a reasonable number of Sabahans aspire for GRS to go solo, there are also many who expressed the opinion that total political confrontation with Putrajaya is not a wise move,” he said.
As such, Usno will remain in GRS to contest in the upcoming election and will support the decision of the GRS chairman to collaborate with any political parties in the election.
On July 27, Hajiji announced that GRS will work with Pakatan in the coming state election and subsequently said that he had consulted with GRS leaders on the decision to work with Pakatan to ensure political stability.
The SAPP president said that the GRS supreme council had not endorsed the decision and maintained the party’s stand that GRS should go solo.
Jeffrey has not officially responded to Hajiji’s announcement to work with Pakatan, which is already working on an electoral pact with Barisan Nasional for the coming election.
