[UPDATED] Decision to quit Bersatu to preserve Sabah’s racial, religious harmony: GRS sec-gen

KUALA LUMPUR – Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) members who were in Bersatu have left the party to uphold multi-racialism and a multi-religious society, the coalition’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said.

The former Sabah Bersatu deputy chief said the decision to quit the Perikatan Nasional (PN) component party was thus made “in the best interest of Sabah and the greater good of Malaysia”.

He said this was because racial and religious rhetoric had been increasing among some peninsula-based parties, especially in the run up to the 15th general election (GE15).

“It’s difficult for GRS, or for that matter many Sabahans, to accept what is now marketed as ‘political Islam.’

“This is inconsistent with the values of a multiracial and multi-religious Sabah and Sarawak,” Masidi said in a statement.

He reiterated the support of former Sabah Bersatu members for the unity government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, which he said “best represents the making of an administration that embraces the interests of all Malaysians, whilst protecting the position of Islam, the Bumiputera, Sabah, and Sarawak.”

Masidi’s statement follows the announcement earlier today by GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor that he and other Sabah Bersatu leaders have quit the party.

Hajiji was also Sabah Bersatu chief, and this development means the party has collapsed in the state.

Hajiji said the decision took into account the advice made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the need for political stability and economic recovery in the unity government led by Anwar.

GRS won six parliamentary seats in Sabah in GE15, with four of them – Papar, Batu Sapi, Sipitang, and Ranau – contributed by Sabah Bersatu. 

Masidi said that as a Muslim, he was proud of his faith but did not think “any party can claim to be a genuine representative of this great religion”, in a veiled reference to PAS, which is a PN member.

Peninsula-based PN is now the federal opposition, but in Sabah, Bersatu has had autonomy to decide its own political alliances – which saw it join the GRS coalition.

Masidi said GRS will continue to support any leader or coalition that was committed to preserving the “Malaysian way of life which has a place for everyone”.

“That is why we are wholeheartedly behind Anwar.

“Multi-ethnic and multi-religious Sabahans have lived in harmony for centuries. 

“Intermarriages are common. We don’t identify ourselves by our ethnicity or religion.

“We are just simple Sabahans who want to protect our cultural and social heritage from being adulterated with non-Sabahan values,” said Masidi. – The Vibes, December 10, 2022