Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) may have chosen to work with Pakatan Harapan (PH) at the upcoming state polls as the coalition is headed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, says former Sabah chief minister Salleh Said Keruak.
The Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) treasurer said GRS, the state’s ruling coalition, might want to ensure strong ties with the federal government.
“This aligns with the need to ensure political stability and continued development for Sabah,” he said in a Facebook post.
While BN and PH are partners in the unity government at the federal level, BN sits in the opposition in the Sabah legislative assembly.
GRS chairman Hajiji Noor said yesterday that his coalition would form an alliance with PH for the upcoming state polls.
PH had previously agreed to an electoral pact for the state election with BN.
Sabah BN chief Bung Moktar Radin said the coalition would not work with GRS in the state election, and would only consider cooperation after the outcome of the election.
Salleh nevertheless said that GRS’s decision to work with PH must be respected.
“Undoubtedly, they have their own reasons, and the people will be the judge,” he said.
He added that BN had decided to work with PH as the two coalitions were the foundation of the unity government at the federal level.
He said cooperation between the two was a “logical and responsible continuation of that partnership”.
“How PH manages its cooperation with both BN and GRS is not our concern. What matters to us in BN is sincerity in partnership, and our focus remains on strengthening our party on the ground,” he said.
