Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) deputy chairman Jeffrey Kitingan said the public would have the final say in determining who the ruling coalition will join forces with in the upcoming state polls.
Kitingan said while GRS would work with anybody for the sake of political stability, they would need to “listen to the rakyat”, the Borneo Post reported.
“If majority of the rakyat say A, then we also have to respond with A,” he was quoted as saying.
Kitingan, who is also Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president, was asked to comment on the possibility of working with Pakatan Harapan or Barisan Nasional in the polls.
Earlier this month, GRS chairman Hajiji Noor said they were prepared to contest in the Sabah election on their own if the decision by PH and BN to cooperate in the state polls was final.
Hajiji said GRS had consistently held that local Sabah parties should be the backbone and must head the state government, without sidelining the important role national parties played in the larger political framework.
GRS and PH are currently allies in Hajiji’s government, while BN sits in the opposition in the state assembly with Warisan. However, all four parties are allies in the federal government.
PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim later said he was optimistic the three coalitions would be able to reach an agreement in the state election.
On May 12, Hajiji said the GRS Supreme Council would have the final say on matters related to the upcoming state election. However, he had previously said the cooperation between GRS and Sabah PH had been smooth.
Last week, Sabah PAS said it was willing to support GRS in the polls, citing confidence in chief minister Hajiji’s leadership.
