PENSIANGAN – The parliamentary seat here should be contested by a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) candidate as the electoral pact with Barisan Nasional (BN) has yet to be formalised, said GRS deputy chairman Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.
Kitingan, who is also Sabah STAR president, said GRS should get the opportunity in accordance with the grassroots’ wishes as Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) is not part of the state ruling coalition.
Pensiangan has been a PBRS stronghold for several terms and the party is a BN component.
PBRS had recently called for BN to go solo in the 15th general election.
Kitingan went on to try to put to rest public confusion about GRS’ alignment with BN and Perikatan Nasional.
“The reality is that we’ve inherited a brand of politics from the past.
“But we must remember that Sabah politics are not the same as Malayan politics. We want our own brand of politics. We no longer want to be pulled around with a ring tied to our nose like a buffalo.
“We want to be like Sarawak. We are partners with Malaya but not under them,” he said referring to the peninsula.
Meanwhile, he said Sabah has become more influential in national politics.
“Our politics today have changed. In the past, we couldn’t even speak about our rights without risking being hunted down with the ISA (Internal Security Act).
“Now Malaya is chasing after us and offering us the post of deputy prime minister,” he said at the launch of the GRS election machinery here today.
Kitingan said, however, that Sabah’s journey to fulfil its fullest aspirations is far from over.
“We must persevere. We need fighters to fight the central government.
“We don’t want to be controlled by external powers. We want to be led by Sabahan fighters aligned with GRS.” – The Vibes, October 28, 2022
