KOTA KINABALU – The political crisis at the federal level has certainly worked up some jitters among the parties in the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) alliance.
Some coalition leaders told The Vibes that they are still waiting to see how the crisis pans out while some maintain that it will not disrupt the status quo in Sabah.
GRS information chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said that the situation shows how unpredictable politics can be.
“By saying so, we need to stay calm and see how it pans out,” said the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) secretary-general.
Earlier, GRS chairman and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor issued a statement saying that all component parties will maintain the status quo in Sabah, as a sign of respect to the people’s mandate earlier. Hajiji is also Sabah Bersatu chief.
His statement came a few hours before Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced the party’s withdrawal of support for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government in Putrajaya.
As a result, there is an air of uncertainty within GRS over how this will affect the alliance as there is no telling what Umno in Sabah will do next.
A pact signed between GRS component parties in January has also come under the spotlight following the decision of Umno’s national leadership.
Sabah Umno is part of GRS by virtue of the alliance consisting of PN, Barisan Nasional (BN) and PBS. BN is headed by Umno.
Sabah PN, which includes Bersatu, Sabah Star, PAS and SAPP, is led by Hajiji.
SAPP president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee assured that the GRS political cooperation will be maintained.
“This is nothing new and the status quo will remain,” said Yong, who is also one of the vice-presidents of PN.
A source from Sabah Star told The Vibes, there will likely be a change of prime minister, and the name of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri has been proposed to replace Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“This is what we know so far. Sadly, we have returned from Kuala Lumpur and are now in Sabah. If not, we would be in the meeting at the prime minister’s house and getting more clarity of what’s going on,” he said on condition of anonymity.
The source said the prime minister will issue a statement tomorrow as he too wants to end the political turmoil involving the federal lawmakers.
According to the Sabah Star source, PN is now only short of eight MPs to retain a slim majority in parliament following Umno’s withdrawal.
He said the situation still remains fluid but maintained that PN will still remain in power after this episode.
Asked whether PN may consider forming a unity government, he said it is too early to make out whether this would be the course of action.
“We will need to wait. But judging from the numbers, PN is left with only 103 MPs.
“We can still maintain it as a minority government. All would be answered after the prime minister meets the Agong tomorrow,” he said.
He said that Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has reiterated the party’s commitment at the state level in GRS.
“This is what I saw written by the Sabah Umno side in the GRS (discussion) group,” the source said.
“Bung Moktar has given his word that he would stick to GRS.
“So far, we have to take Sabah Umno for their word,” he said, adding that he is aware Bung Moktar has not spoken to any media yet over Sabah Umno’s stand on the current political situation. – The Vibes, August 4, 2021
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