KUALA LUMPUR – Allegations against Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s legitimacy as Sabah’s chief minister are baseless, according to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s (GRS) secretary-general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
In a statement today, Masidi pointed out that just because Hajiji announced his exit from Bersatu does not mean the Sulaman assemblyman is without a party, given he is a member of GRS via “direct membership”.
“It’s unfair for irresponsible parties to make assumptions over baseless information pertaining to GRS’ status, saying we are merely a coalition and not a political party.
“GRS is approved officially by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) and the use of our logo is recognised by the Election Commission (EC) during elections,” Masidi said.
Highlighting Article 160 of the federal constitution, Masidi suggested that the law allows GRS to participate in both state and federal elections.
Further, regardless of the allegations hurled against Hajiji’s position as chief minister, Masidi also reminded that the former Bersatu member still holds majority support in the Sabah state assembly.
Masidi’s comments come after Barisan Nasional (BN) state representatives terminated their political support with GRS.
BN and Sabah-based parties – Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) and Warisan – have also questioned the legitimacy of GRS chairman Hajiji as chief minister.
For now, GRS has 29 reps, which include 15 former Bersatu assemblymen. As things stand, the coalition appears to have the support of the five Sabah BN representatives who reportedly disagree with its chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, and Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) seven assemblymen.
This leaves BN with 13 while Warisan has 19 assemblymen and KDM, also against Hajiji, has three seats. Along with an independent, Bung’s faction has 36 seats.
Sabah’s assembly has 79 seats, and the simple majority needed to form a government is 40. This makes PH’s seven lawmakers the possible kingmakers. – The Vibes, January 7, 2023
