GABUNGAN Rakyat Sabah (GRS) candidates have insisted that the coalition’s efforts to resolve Sabah’s longstanding “three-in-one” issues are already well underway and should not be viewed solely through the lens of its election manifesto.
GRS candidate for Darau, Datuk Mohamed Razali Razi, said the coalition had delivered tangible progress long before unveiling its campaign pledges.
“Don’t look at the three-in-one issues only through the manifesto. Even before the manifesto, we had already made a great deal of progress on at least those three elements, with projects aimed at solving the problems,” he said on Monday.
He added that the manifesto was only one component of a much wider strategy. “As things stand, we know that much has been carried out and by next year many projects will be completed.”
He emphasised that the work is tangible and can be seen on the ground, not merely political rhetoric.
“These are not just words; the work is ongoing. It exists — you can see it, you can go down to the ground, it is happening. It is not based on rhetoric or mere promises.”
In neighbouring Kukusan, GRS candidate Samsiah Usman acknowledged that water disruptions remain a major concern for residents but maintained that the coalition is committed to resolving them if given a renewed mandate.
“The water issue is a state issue, so as stated, it will also be resolved in stages,” she said.
GRS Deputy Secretary-General Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali cautioned that efforts to resolve the three-in-one issues must be viewed in relation to the state’s financial capacity, noting that they relate to Sabah’s long-standing problems with water supply, electricity reliability and road infrastructure.
Long-term solutions, he said, require stable and sustainable state revenue rather than political rhetoric.
“In carrying out the state’s development agenda and addressing legacy issues — problems we have inherited — many say that the three-in-one issues can only be solved with revenue that is sustainable, stable and strong,” he said.
He added that making promises without the resources to fulfil them was meaningless: “We cannot solve these problems by selling promises or by stirring up sentiment about the failures of our opponents.
“As people say, if there is no allocation, don’t talk about it.”
He warned that any pledge unsupported by the state’s revenue base is bound to fail. “If you say you want to solve these problems, but in the end the state’s revenue is not sufficient to fund the solutions, then no effort or promise will succeed.”
The Sabah election will test whether voters accept GRS’s argument that incremental, fiscally grounded progress offers the most realistic path to resolving the state’s inherited infrastructure burdens. - November 18, 2025
