GABUNGAN Rakyat Sabah (GRS) should stop dithering and be clear on its intention to contest the state election alone, said Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
Bung who is clearly not concerned about the leaders of the eight-party alliance led by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said they could not be trusted as many had betrayed their original political platforms for personal gain.
“…In politics, there’s no need to go around in circles. If they’ve really decided, then just decide, it’s not that hard.
“As for me, from the beginning, and people know my stand, I’ve never had confidence or any ambition to trust GRS.
“Its leaders are full of lies… so many traitors. They love party-hopping, that’s betrayal. They think only about themselves, to the point that they even betray the people,” Bung told reporters during his party’s “Radu Tetap Radu” jelajah held in Kinabatangan last night.
Bung was reacting to the growing calls within the component of GRS to go solo in the upcoming Sabah 17th Election scheduled to be held this year.
Bung, however, made clear that BN has no intention of cooperating with the coalition, at least for now.
“They want to go solo? Go ahead. We’re not negotiating with them anymore,” said Bung, who did not dismiss possibilities of forming alliances only after the election was held.
Bung made it clear that only a group of parties such as PBS, Sabah Star that are making the call for GRS to go solo, while belittling the other component parties as having little say in the state ruling alliance.
Tensions between Bung and Hajiji began building as early as mid-2022, culminating in a political crisis in January 2023 when Hajiji reshuffled the state cabinet and removed Bung from the line-up.
In response, Bung led Sabah UMNO in withdrawing support for Hajiji, accusing him of breaching the agreement made between Sabah Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional ahead of the 2020 state election.
Bung maintained that the pact was with Bersatu, the party Hajiji later abandoned before forming GRS to retain power.
Citing such events, Bung said many GRS leaders had betrayed the platforms on which they were elected and therefore, could not be trusted. - July 14, 2025
