GRS members will discuss before committing to cooperation with state Pakatan, says CM

KOTA KINABALU: Any deal for bipartisan cooperation with the Opposition Sabah Pakatan Harapan will be discussed by the 10-party Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition partners first, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

The Chief Minister indicated that it was too early to comment on overtures from the state Pakatan leaders that they were prepared for a bipartisan memorandum of understanding with the state government.

"I cannot make any further comments on this matter until I sit down and discuss it with my colleagues in the GRS," Hajiji, who is GRS chairman, told reporters at his home base in Tuaran.

GRS comprises of Sabah Barisan Nasional (Umno, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah, MCA and MIC), Sabah Perikatan (Bersatu, Sabah STAR, Sabah Progressive Party, PAS and Gerakan) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).

His statement came as Sabah Pakatan leaders said over the weekend that they were drafting a memorandum of understanding for bipartisan political cooperation with the GRS.

Opposition party leaders Datuk Christina Liew (PKR), Datuk Frankie Poon (DAP), Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau (Upko) and Lahirul Latigu (Amanah) said that they were keen to pursue bipartisan cooperation similar to that at the federal level.

They said that there was a need for political stability in the state to focus on the Covid-19 issues as well as to focus on economic recovery amid their fears that a situation similar to Melaka can occur in the state.

The unregistered GRS coalition took over the reins of the state government from the two-year-old Warisan Plus (Pakatan and Upko) following the Sept 26 snap state election last year.

However, Warisan, led by state Opposition leader Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, has refused to sign the bipartisan MOU at the federal level and also declined a similar move by Pakatan at the state level.

Warisan currently holds 20 state seats while Pakatan has nine seats in the current 78-member assembly. The remaining 49 seats are held by GRS parties and independents supporting the state government.