KOTA KINABALU – Registering the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) as an official entity with the Registrar of Societies will not have any untoward impact on any party within the alliance, Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has assured.
The deputy chief minister said there should not be any concern over this matter as GRS is merely a platform for its components to form the Sabah government.
“This matter will be discussed with other GRS leaders. The discussion will have to include the coordination of parties,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.
However, he said the meeting has yet to happen.
Asked if he is ready for GRS to be registered as one body, he said, “I will have to listen to what they are going to suggest,” hinting that the meeting, if conducted, will see negotiations between parties on matters like seat allocations and so on.
The parties in GRS comprise the Perikatan Nasional coalition (Bersatu, STAR, SAPP, and Gerakan), the Barisan Nasional coalition (Umno, PBRS, MCA, and MIC), PBS, and PAS.
GRS has been in an awkward situation since the central leaderships of Umno and Bersatu decided to be on separate teams for the coming general election.
In December last year, the unstable relationship between the parties worsened after Bung Moktar said that Sabah Umno will likely compete with Bersatu for federal seats in the upcoming 15th general election.
Bung Moktar, who had also recently expressed interest in Umno contesting the Bugaya state seat, said that the Election Commission may announce if there will be a by-election for the seat in a week or two.
“The government has asked for a by-election. We are now waiting for a report from the National Security Council because our Covid-19 situation in the state has not been stable.
“I am sure they will announce it in a week or two,” he said.
The Bugaya seat was declared vacant after its incumbent Manis Muka Mohd Darah passed away on November 17, 2020. However, the by-election was postponed after the emergency was declared due to the pandemic. – The Vibes, January 25, 2022
