KUALA LUMPUR – The political situation in Sabah is calm and the state leadership remains unchanged for now, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“It seems to be calm for the time being and I don’t think there is any upheaval,” he said in a WhatsApp audio recording shared with selected media outlets today.
When asked if there will be a change in the Sabah government, Anwar said it will not happen, reported Bernama.
“I don’t see any development, I was just informed that there are some issues and I have asked the chief minister to have discussions with his comrades in Sabah.”
He added that he was given an overview of Sabah’s political situation after speaking with chief minister and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, and deputy chief minister I and Sabah Umno chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
Anwar said the matter was also brought up with deputy prime minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and transport minister and DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke.
Yesterday’s events show not all is friendly between the two ruling parties in the state – where the partnership between GRS and Barisan Nasional (BN) looks to be fragile.
This comes after BN and Warisan had allegedly tried to usurp GRS but failed.
GRS and BN partnered to form the Sabah government after the state election in 2020.
The partnership between the two has always been questioned, following the rift between Bersatu – whose Sabah chapter is a component of GRS – and Umno in the peninsula, even before the 15th general election.
The Vibes was made to understand that 15 of 17 BN assemblymen were supportive of the tie-up with Warisan’s 20 assemblymen.
The pact apparently failed to obtain the majority numbers needed to form a new government against 29 GRS assemblymen, including four nominated assemblymen from the party.
The Warisan-BN pact, if it eventually happens, still needs support from seven Pakatan Harapan assemblymen.
Sabah has 73 state seats, plus seven appointed assemblymen – four from GRS, two from Umno, and one from PAS.
The state has two independent assemblymen, two from Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat, and one each from Perikatan Nasional, Harapan Rakyat Sabah, and Bersatu respectively. – The Vibes, January 6, 2023
