DATUK Seri Masidi Manjun has set the stage for Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan) to take the wheel in Sabah politics as talk of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) forcing a pact with Pakatan Harapan remains a key point at the party’s annual general meeting.
Gagasan Rakyat is the key party in GRS.
The Gagasan deputy president told party members to chart their course on their own terms in his half hour speech filled with subtle political jabs and autonomy undertones.
“Sabah is our home. Rumah kita, kita jaga. If not us, who else is going to look after Sabah?” he said, invoking the party’s slogan during its ongoing general meeting in Kota Kinabalu.
“We want Sabah to progress based on its own development model — not because anyone wants us to do it this way, or that way. Not like that,” he added.
Masidi was speaking before over 1,000 delegates on the second day of Gagasan’s AGM for its Wanita, Youth and Beliawanis wings.
The three-day assembly is expected to define the party’s campaign tone ahead of the next state election.
Tensions have been simmering within GRS over calls for the coalition to contest independently in the upcoming polls — without entering a formal cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Parties such as Sabah STAR, SAPP, and USNO have openly urged the alliance to go solo.
The spotlight is now on Gagasan Rakyat — the dominant force within GRS — to make its position clear, even as its president, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, has expressed openness to working with PH.
Fresh elections could be called at any time, though the State Legislative Assembly is scheduled for automatic dissolution on November 11.
Hajiji offered only a brief response: “Just wait for my speech on Sunday,” he told reporters yesterday after being asked if any key decisions would be made in the direction of Gagasan Rakyat.
Masidi’s remarks suggest that Gagasan is gearing up to lead and to define the terms of any potential partnership.
Masidi also raised questions over who will get to decide Sabah’s future when framing the forthcoming state election as more than just a contest for winning seats.
“Just imagine, if we lose the government, and other people take over. Can you imagine where our future will lie 10 years from now?
What will happen to all the Sabahans? What will happen to the local aspirations which are the foundation of our Sabah? Can Sabahans still be in charge?”
“We the people of Sabah should decide our future, and not anyone else,” he said.
Masidi also pushed back at critics who have accused Gagasan of betrayal or inconsistency.
“You can accuse me of whatever you want. But in the end, it is the people who will decide whether we are traitors or not.
It is the people who will determine whether we deserve to continue the mandate.”
“Anybody can talk. But tell me — what are the recipes of your suggestions?
If it’s just criticism, anyone can criticise. Even a clown can criticise.
But do they understand what they’re talking about?” he said. - July 26, 2025
