[UPDATED] PM to meet Sabah leaders after Indonesia trip

PETALING JAYA – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will meet with Sabah leaders next week when he concludes his two-day trip to Indonesia.

In a brief response to the political impasse in Sabah, Anwar assured that the situation remains under control and the state government machinery is unaffected.

“I have spoken to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor and was also made to understand by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who has also spoken to (Sabah Umno chief) Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, that the situation is under control and the state administration is not disrupted.

“I will meet with Sabah leaders after coming back from Jakarta,” he said to the press after chairing the Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting here today. 

Anwar will be in Indonesia tomorrow and Monday.

Meanwhile, PH secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told the press that the coalition has discussed, in general, the coming six state elections which are due to be called in four to five months.

He added that the focus will be to retain Penang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan while putting up a “strong opposition” in Kelantan and Terengganu.

“However, for Kedah, PH is of the opinion that it has a 50-50 chance of winning.”

Saifuddin also said the coalition has yet to discuss seat allocations with other unity government partners, including Barisan Nasional (BN).

Sabah politics are again at an impasse after some Barisan Nasional (BN) elected reps decided to end their political cooperation with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).

Tun Juhar Mahiruddin is expected to meet the reps on the matter.

BN and Sabah-based parties – Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) and Warisan – have questioned the legitimacy of GRS chairman Hajiji as chief minister.

For now, GRS has 29 reps, which include 15 former Bersatu assemblymen. As things stand, the coalition appears to have the support of the five Sabah BN representatives who reportedly disagree with its chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, and PH’s seven assemblymen.

This leaves BN with 13 while Warisan has 19 assemblymen and KDM, also against Hajiji, has three seats. Along with an independent, Bung’s faction has 36 seats.

Sabah’s assembly has 79 seats, and the simple majority needed to form a government is 40. This makes PH’s seven lawmakers the possible kingmakers. – The Vibes, January 7, 2023