KOTA KINABALU, July 21 — Despite calls for the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to contest on its own, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said that the coalition with remain in a formal pact with its national coalition partners Pakatan Harapan (PH) going into the election, with a broader strategy in mind.
The Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah president said that political stability — not just electoral victory — is the priority for the state, but also stressed that GRS would be contesting most of the 73 state constituency seats.
“We will continue our cooperation in the current government — both the state government, GRS, and Pakatan Harapan,” he said when speaking to reporters here.
“We also want to listen to local aspirations. So we will make the best decision for Sabah because for us, political stability is very important. It’s not just about winning the election. After the election, we must ensure stability. Only then can we plan and develop our state,”
He said that he has had several discussions with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as chairman of PH and that they were reaching a decision on the seat negotiations soon.
Hajiji, who is GRS chairman, has been in favour of staying with PH during the election but grassroot calls for the local coalition to contest on its own has been getting stronger, particularly after the Parti Bersatu Sabah and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku’s joint convention two weekends ago.
Chants of “solo” reverberated during the convention, reflecting the desire from the ground for local parties to form the state government without relying on national parties. The calls come from along-standingg perception of Sabah being taken advantage of and beholden to the federal government or national parties.
Another issue is that the federal government also comprises Umno, GRS’s former state partners who had attempted a coup on Hajiji after what it claims was many broken promises and agreements and leading to a fallout between the two.
A three day PGRS convention this weekend is expected to serve as a platform to prepare the party machinery for a possible snap state election.
Earlier today, Hajiji presented scholarships to the best performing students in the state, noting that they have more than doubled the amount since it took over the government in 2020.
“From only RM50 million in 2020, the BKNS allocation has continued to increase year by year over the past five years, reaching RM136 million in 2025.
“This marks an increase of RM86 million from 2019, reflecting the State Government’s commitment to supporting the education of Sabah’s children,” he said.
