KOTA KINABALU – Muda will maintain its ties with the ruling parties in Sabah, keeping true to the autonomy granted by the party president, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
Muda’s future as part of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah alliance came into question after Syed Saddiq withdrew the party’s support from the federal government in protest of the discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Umno, which Zahid is president of, is also part of the ruling parties in Sabah, led by Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and undoubtedly aligned with the federal unity government.
Sabah Muda chief Amos Thien said they still require “friends” as the state chapter is still growing its political influence in the state.
“We still require friends. We are not like in the peninsula, where Muda has already become quite a force,” he said.
Thien was met during the party’s beach cleaning activity held in conjunction with the Malaysia Day celebrations in Tg Aru here today.
Thien said the decision also took into account the call from Sabah Pakatan Harapan chairman Datuk Christina Liew for Sabah Muda to continue working with the ruling parties in Sabah.
Liew recently expressed hope that Sabah Muda will keep working with them, pointing out that in Sabah, parties from opposite political divides at the federal-level can still work together.
Liew cited the instance of Sabah Progressive Party, which remains a component member of Perikatan Nasional after its former partners Bersatu and other parties in Sabah abandoned the opposition to back the unity government led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after the federal election.
The former leaders of Bersatu later exited the party and joined the Gagasan Rakyat party.
Thien is aware that a media war broke out between Muda and DAP but dismissed the problem, as the political situation in the state is different than that of the peninsula.
He said there is no distinct opposition group within the state assembly, as parties belonging to the GRS coalition, Barisan Nasional, Umno, and Warisan are all integrated into the federal unity government in Sabah.
Thien is an aide to Sabah Industrial Development and Entrepreneurship Minister and Sabah DAP man Phoong Jin Zhe. – The Vibes, September 16, 2023
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