KOTA KINABALU: Sabah PKR is open to any decision by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor as he is expected to set the direction of the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition for the upcoming state election.
Hajiji, who is Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah president, is set to announce the party’s and – in extension – the coalition’s stance on continued cooperation with Pakatan Harapan.
Sabah PKR chairman Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said that Hajiji is expected to make the announcement at Gagasan Rakyat’s AGM on Sunday (July 27).
“I expect the Chief Minister and Gagasan Rakyat president to announce a decision on whether to continue cooperation with Pakatan Harapan or not.
“As a Pakatan component party, we are ready to face any possibility,” he said when contacted on Saturday (Jul 26).
Chief Minister Hajiji told reporters that his policy speech at Sunday’s Gagasan Rakyat general assembly would reflect the political direction of Gagasan Rakyat with its local coalition GRS in the coming state election due by Nov 11.
However, Mustapha stressed that his party would leave it entirely to the people of Sabah to determine the political direction of the state.
“We have full faith in the wisdom of the voters and the people of Sabah in determining the political direction of the state for the next five years,” he added.
Sabah Pakatan forged a coalition government with GRS in January 2023 after Sabah Barisan Nasional, led by Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, withdrew their support for Hajiji.
Hajiji survived the political coup with the support of Pakatan and defected Umno assemblymen.
Hajiji himself has in recent months voiced his support for forging an electoral pact with Sabah Pakatan but is facing pressure from some partners within his GRS coalition who want to go solo in the state election.
At the joint opening of the Gabungan Rakyat’s youth, women and Beliawanis wings annual meeting earlier on Saturday, Gagasan Rakyat deputy president Datuk Masidi Manjun said that any electoral pact with any party should be led by GRS.
“We want allies on our own terms. We don’t want to be dictated to by others,” said the GRS secretary-general.
Sabah Pakatan and Barisan Nasional have been in discussion on seat-sharing in line with their federal unity government framework.
Both state Barisan and GRS have rejected any move for an electoral pact between themselves.
Political speculation has been rife that Hajiji might call for the dissolution of the state assembly by next week but others speculate that he might go for the full term, calling it in October, weeks before the automatic Nov 11 dissolution of the 16th state assembly.
