A PARTY espousing to represent the interests of the native Kadazandusun and Murut communities of Sabah has accused the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) of portraying itself as a local political entity when it is not.
Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) claimed that GRS, which rules Sabah, is merely employing a ruse in presenting itself as a pure Sabahan party in order to mislead the people.
KDM president and founder Datuk Peter Anthony pointed out that GRS includes parties from the peninsula, namely Perikatan Nasional (PN) and PAS.
He said that this situation is unlike that in Sarawak, where the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is composed entirely of local parties.
“The situation in Sabah is very different from the sentiments in Sarawak. GPS dominates the support of the people in that state because the members of GPS are local parties from Sarawak,” he said.
“In Sabah, on the other hand, GRS is not a coalition of local Sabah parties. GRS consists of PN and PAS, which are peninsular parties and currently opposition parties at the federal level.”
Anthony said that it will not be easy for GRS to dominate the impending 17th state election due next year as other parties also have their own strengths.
He said this at a Chinese New Year celebration event in Tenom recently.
Anthony said that opportunities for parties from the peninsula, like PKR and Barisan Nasional (BN), to contest in the next state election are just as equal as any Sabah-based party. The Melalap assemblyman said KDM has not decided on the number of seats it plans to contest in the state polls.
But the party has determined that it can potentially win several state seats, including Limbahau, which is currently held by its former deputy president Datuk Juil Nuatim, he said. Nuatim defected and joined GRS as a direct member last year.
Meanwhile, Anthony said KDM’s machinery is in the final preparation stage at constituencies viewed as priority seats.
He added that he expects the state elections to be held either by October this year or latest in April next year.
“I and the deputy president of KDM, Datuk Wetrom (Bahanda), will work hard to ensure that the areas contested by KDM will receive support and victory,” he said. – The Vibes, February 14, 2024
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