KOTA KINABALU – Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), a coalition of parties that makes up the Sabah government, was officially registered with the Registrar of Societies last Friday.
Sabah chief minister and GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor said that the decision to officially register the alliance was made following the people’s demand for GRS to rule the state as a valid and official political entity.
“I received the approval certificate for GRS’ registration last Friday. We hope to see Sabah continue to prosper with stable politics.
“There is no better time than now. Let us eradicate negative and petty politics. With the sources and strengths given to us through the mandate of the people, we work towards the prosperity of Sabah,” he said when launching Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) today.
KDM was formed by former Warisan vice-president Datuk Peter Anthony after he left Warisan in December last year.
Despite Hajiji personally launching the party today, KDM is still not officially part of the GRS alliance.
In his speech earlier, Hajiji said that while he welcomes KDM’s intention to become part of GRS, he will propose the matter to other party leaders in the ruling alliance.
“We hope that KDM will be successful in its agenda to be one of Sabah’s ruling parties.
“For me, if all the parties could unite, Sabah will prosper even further.
“This is my wish as the chairman of GRS; to see that Sabah is united in one political fight and in developing the state and its people,” he said.
After forming KDM this year, Anthony made it clear that he wanted his infant organisation to be part of the state administration, which currently consists of ruling Sabah parties Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional, and Parti Bersatu Sabah.
However, Anthony’s intention has invited mixed responses from the parties in GRS, with only Sabah Star clearly supporting KDM to join the alliance.
Meanwhile, in Anthony’s speech earlier, he shared the party’s direction and aspiration, which is mainly to work with the Sabah government to develop the state and fight for the rights of the indigenous people in Sabah.
“Our small party wants to be a part of the GRS chairman’s fights.
“We believe that with the addition of KDM to the alliance, we will be able to help provide our opinions to the leaders of the Sabah government; become its eyes and ears, and assist the government in developing the state under the Sabah Maju Jaya direction,” he added. –The Vibes, March 13, 2022
