KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan’s threat to remove Sabah STAR from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) shows the coalition is fragile and divided, says Parti Warisan.
Warisan vice-president Terrence Siambun characterised the Deputy Chief Minister’s ultimatum as “not an act of courage but of fear”, indicating it mirrored his waning support within the Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) community ahead of the state election.
Kitingan had threatened to pull out his part from GRS if the coalition pushed ahead with plans for an electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan for the coming state election.
“Kitingan has been in the same government with GRS and Pakatan for almost five years. For two years, he sat comfortably as deputy chief minister next to Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin and later Datuk Shahelmy Yahya.
“For the past three years, Pakatan leaders such as Ginger Phoong(Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe) and (Datuk) Christina Liew have also been in the Cabinet,” Terrence said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 1).
“So why is ‘Justice for Sabah’ suddenly his slogan now, on the eve of elections?”
He added that if Kitingan were truly a man of principle, he would have stepped down long ago instead of clinging to his position, saying that “principles are proven by action, not ultimatums.”
Terrence also reminded voters of Kitingan’s decision in 2020 to side with then Sabah Umno chief Tan Sri Musa Aman and his bloc despite being rivals in the election, saying that “once trust is broken, it cannot be easily restored.”
The party further accused Kitingan of remaining silent on the alleged mineral scandal that featured viral videos of purported cash handouts involving state Cabinet members.
“If Kitingan truly believes in ‘Justice for Sabah’, then justice must also be done in the mineral scandal. Those involved must be charged and prosecuted,” he said.
Terrence added that Kitingan had numerous chances to leave the coalition over unresolved issues such as the 40% revenue entitlement, inadequate federal funding for flood mitigation and meagre annual budget allocations, yet “he chose to stay.”
“His words never matched his actions,” he said, adding that Kitingan’s threat confirmed Warisan’s long-held position that GRS was “fractured, unstable and tied to outside forces.”
Earlier, Kitingan had said STAR would quit GRS if the coalition finalises an electoral deal with Pakatan. He claimed the decision would go against “grassroots sentiment” and that Sabah voters wanted the coalition to contest the state election independently.
He said while he initially agreed Pakatan should defend only its seven incumbent seats under the GRS logo, the plan now involves giving Pakatan as many as 21 to 23 seats.
“If GRS goes solo, I go along. If they don’t, then I can’t go along because that is going against the sentiment of the majority of the people,” Kitingan said.
Warisan reiterated that it intends to contest the election on its own, saying it does not serve as a bargaining chip for federal parties.
“The choice for Sabahans is clear — they can choose instability and betrayal under GRS or certainty and unity with Warisan,” Terrence said.
