KOTA KINABALU: Electoral pact talks between three major coalitions are just confusing the people and it is best for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to go it alone, says Sabah STAR deputy president Datuk Kenny Chua.
Chua said that GRS should contest the coming state election solo instead of entering into any electoral pact with national party coalitions like Pakatan Harapan or Barisan Nasional.
Chua said discussions about potential cooperation between GRS, Pakatan and Barisan have caused confusion among voters and did not reflect the sentiments of the people at the grassroots.
He said that Sabahans were keen to be governed by local parties that understand the state’s unique needs and priorities.
“It’s the wish of Sabah and that local parties govern the state. All this talk about GRS, Pakatan, and Barisan has created confusion. It shouldn’t be. For me, it’s only fair to Sabah that GRS goes solo,” he said in a statement Tuesday (Aug 5).
He cautioned that any attempt to compel cooperation between parties would be seen as a “forced marriage” and not sit well with voters.
Sabah STAR, the third largest partner in the eight-party GRS, has been advocating to go solo but its president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has yet to comment on the July 27 statement by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s that GRS has agreed to form an electoral pact with Pakatan.
Pakatan has more or less formalised an electoral seat arrangement with Barisan and its (Pakatan) move to work on a pact with GRS separately is also raising political eyebrows.
Sabah Barisan led by Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has refused to forge any sort of alliance with its estranged partner GRS under Hajiji following their fallout in January 2023.
On Sunday (Aug 3), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that Pakatan would work towards resolving conflicts to allow the unity government partners to contest the coming state election without clashing with each other.
However, Chua believes that Sabah has already enjoyed political stability since GRS formed the state government and that this stability would be further strengthened if the mandate is clearly given to local-based parties.
“Political stability has been established since GRS came to power and will be further strengthened when voters choose for autonomy in which Sabah local parties govern the state, just like in Sarawak,” he added.
He said while cooperation with national parties may have played a role in the past, Sabah is now in a stronger position to decide its future through its own local leadership.
The current political collaboration talks will see GRS and Barisan contesting each other while both parties will not field candidates against Pakatan candidates under seats sharing formulas being worked out.
