SABAH Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan held a private meeting in Kota Kinabalu today to deal with what appears to be a deadlock that has been hindering both sides from forming a pact for the upcoming Sabah election.
The two groups were unable to find a common ground due to the rift ignited by a political crisis in Sabah in January 2023.
The closed-door meeting was chaired by Barisan Nasional secretary Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir to foster unity between the two groups as what BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wanted.
“On this end, both parties have agreed to establish a communication channel to refine collaborative efforts, including openness to establish relationships with other parties for the upcoming Sabah elections.
“Both sides also agreed that any form of understanding for moving forward will be decided through discussions and mutual understanding between the top leadership of both parties,” the two groups said in a joint statement.
The meeting was attended by Sabah BN chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, Sabah PKR chief cum Sabah PH secretary Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, and leaders from DAP, MCA, and UPKO.
The meeting follows the dissatisfaction of several Sabah PH leaders over a statement from Zahid that BN and PH had finalised an electoral pact recently.
To seal a pact between both parties has served uphill as the political alignments in Sabah are different from those in Peninsular Malaysia.
PH components, Upko and PKR had since denied Zahid’s statement, stating that no official talks have been held yet.
Bung’s refusal to work with GRS also made it difficult for Sabah PH to form a partnership with Sabah BN.
The source of the complication stemmed from a fallout between Bung and GRS Chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor that resulted in the political crisis in Sabah in January 2023.
The Sabah Umno chief had claimed the GRS leader had gone against the agreements both groups had before the Sabah election three years before.
When Bung decided to withdraw BN’s support to GRS, Sabah PH along with several Umno dissenters realigned themselves to GRS to keep their power intact.
Sabah PH’s move was seen as straying from the Madani government model in which both BN and PH are the dominant political groups that formed the government after the national election in late 2022. - November 5, 2024
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