KOTA KINABALU – In a stark indication that the rift between Umno and Bersatu at the national level has finally impacted cordial ties between the two parties in Sabah, the former today found itself being left out of the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s (GRS) new lineup.
Both Umno and PAS were conspicuously excluded from the alliance’s newly announced composition that was unveiled by Sabah Bersatu chief Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who is also the chief minister.
GRS, which got registered last week, now consists of Sabah Bersatu, PBS, Sabah Star and SAPP.
It originally featured Barisan Nasional (BN), Perikatan Nasional (PN) and PBS when it was put together for the parties to collectively rule Sabah after the state election in September 2020.
BN is led by Umno, while PN – which includes PAS – is led by Bersatu.
Hajiji, who is the chairman of GRS, named PBS president Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, Sabah Star president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan and SAPP president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee as his deputies.
Meanwhile, Bersatu’s Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun was appointed as GRS secretary-general and Sabah Star’s Ardino Diris as its treasurer-general.
According to Hajiji, the vice-presidents will be named at the party’s forthcoming meeting.
An official launch of the new GRS lineup will be held in the final week of May.
“These are the parties in GRS – the four main parties,” he said.
“It is our hope that with the creation of this new alliance, it will bring about political stability in Sabah and subsequently strengthen the economy.
“With the formation of GRS, a new historic chapter in Sabah politics has been made,” he said when announcing the pro tem committee here today.
Other parties to be excluded from the new GRS are MCA, MIC and PBRS, which are all part of BN.
Sabah Star and SAPP, which are members of PN, are now in GRS as individual components.
What happens in the peninsula won’t impact Sabah: Hajiji
Asked about the absence of Umno in the alliance, Hajiji stressed that GRS is still cooperating with BN and maintains their co-administration of Sabah at present.
“Umno and BN are our partners in the government,” said Hajiji, reiterating that the political situation in Sabah is different than that in the peninsula.
“Politics in Malaysia is very fluid. But what happens in the peninsula cannot be the same as in Sabah. It’s different.
“What happened there will not have an impact here,” he claimed.
Hajiji is obviously taking cognisance of the political fighting between Bersatu and Umno during the state elections in Melaka in November and Johor earlier this month.
However, the new development gives rise to a likelihood that Umno and its BN allies would contest the upcoming 15th general election (GE15) without cooperating with GRS.
Component parties to use single GRS logo
Meanwhile, Masidi, who also emphasised on the political differences between Sabah and the peninsula, said: “If people are good, we are also good.”
On GE15, Hajiji said that necessary preparations are being done and that the GRS logo will be used by the component parties.
On the prospect of more parties joining GRS, he said a committee will be formed to study each application and a report will be presented to the alliance’s supreme council for a decision.
Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat led by troubled politician Datuk Peter Anthony and Usno Baru led by Tan Sri Pandikar Amin have applied to join GRS.
The new GRS lineup was publicised today, just as the Umno general assembly takes place in Kuala Lumpur.
The event is being dominated by calls for Parliament to be dissolved for GE15 to be held soon this year, even though its term is not due to expire until May next year. – The Vibes, March 18, 2022
