KOTA KINABALU: The decision by the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Sabah STAR to leave the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition is disappointing and goes against the purpose of unity, says Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) vice-president Sim Hui (pic).
He said SAPP and Sabah STAR’s exit is regrettable, especially given that both were co-founders of the coalition, established with the very purpose of uniting Sabah-based parties under one umbrella.
The formation of GRS was never about individual party interests, he said
“It is about strengthening Sabah’s political bargaining power, achieving economic stability, and ensuring a consistent and stable state government,” he said.
Sim said this vision reflected Sabah’s past political struggles from the era of USNO, Berjaya and PBS in the 1980s where Sabah experienced constant political fragmentation.
“Competing local parties often shared the same objective of championing Sabah’s rights, but divided themselves into numerous parties.
“Since 1964, more than 30 local political parties have been formed in Sabah, and new ones continue to emerge. This endless fragmentation only weakens our state,” he said.
Sim said GRS was created to change this pattern — to bring Sabahans together, to consolidate its voice, and to emulate the strength of Sarawak’s GPS.
Unity provides consistency, leverage, and respect in negotiations with Putrajaya, he said.
“Let us not forget Malaysia’s own experience. Between 2018 and 2022, the country saw multiple changes in prime ministers, each with new policies and priorities.
“Was this good for Malaysia? The instability only hurt confidence and slowed progress,” said Sim.
Sabah, he said, went through the same turmoil where in 2018, Sabahans gave Warisan Plus their mandate, but their administration tied itself closely with Pakatan Harapan and introduced multiple new policies.
In 2020, the Warisan-led government collapsed after 13 assemblymen defected, forcing a fresh election, he said.
The people then gave a new mandate to the Barisan-Perikatan coalition, Sim recalled.
“In 2023, we saw another attempted coup through the so-called ‘Kinabalu Move’ to topple the government of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
“At that time, the Chief Minister had even been prepared to return the mandate to the people through fresh elections,” he said.
Fortunately, Sabah Pakatan chose to support stability instead of chaos, enabling the government to continue its work, Sim said.
He said these episodes show clearly that political instability is the greatest threat to Sabah’s progress.
“The people are tired of repeated changes, endless quarrels, and shifting alliances,” he said, stressing they want stability, good governance, and consistent policies that attract investment and create economic growth.
This, said Sim, is precisely why Sabah needs GRS as it was founded as a platform to unite Sabah’s local parties, reduce fragmentation, and provide the state with stability.
GRS, he said, was not perfect, but it represented a real opportunity for Sabah to learn from history and build a coalition that puts Sabah first above personal or party ambitions.
“I call on all leaders and the people of Sabah to remember the spirit of GRS’s formation.
“Our unity is our strength. Only through stability and cooperation can Sabah secure its rights under MA63, strengthen its economy, and provide a better future for generations to come,” Sim said.
