Sabah Umno says it’s ready to go solo in the upcoming state election after Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) announced an electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan.
Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin mocked the GRS-PH cooperation as a “panic pact” and said the state chapter will not work with dishonest and insincere coalitions.
“An electoral pact must be built on sincerity and integrity, not just seat-sharing and candidate selection,” he said, according to The Borneo Post.
He reportedly said the GRS-PH pact was a last-minute alliance forged simply to prevent seat clashes, describing it as a “beautifully disguised panic pact”.
“Sabah Barisan Nasional will not be part of any arrangement lacking genuine unity,” said Bung, the Sabah BN chief.
In May, the unity government’s secretariat announced that BN and PH would work together in the 17th Sabah state election, which is due by the end of the year.
While Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hoped that all three coalitions would work together for the polls, Bung said Sabah BN would only consider cooperation with GRS after the outcome of the state election.
GRS chairman Hajiji Noor then announced last month that the Sabah coalition and PH had agreed to form an alliance for the polls. This was confirmed by Sabah PKR chief Mustapha Sakmud.
BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi later reiterated that the coalition’s pact with PH was “locked in”, indicating that BN and GRS were likely to clash in the upcoming state election.
On Sunday, Zahid urged Sabah Umno not to completely shut the door on potential allies, saying “there may be friends among enemies”.
