KOTA KINABALU: Sabah STAR has no problem if Barisan Nasional decides not to partner up with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and fly solo in the upcoming polls, saying there will be no love lost between GRS and Barisan.
Sabah STAR assistant secretary-general Rizal Johari said they were fully prepared to contest in the 15th General Election (GE15) even if it has to clash with Sabah Barisan.
Rizal said Sabah STAR is always aware that whenever it enters the election ring, it is fighting for no one else other than the rights of Sabah and Sabahans.
“Should the state Barisan decide to go solo, there would be no love lost between them (GRS and Barisan),” he said, in a statement here on Tuesday (Oct 18).
“If Barisan-Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) wants to go solo in this general election, then so be it. Sabah STAR is always prepared to contest because we have always been true to our struggle in fighting for the rights of our state and our people,” he added.
PBRS president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, in a statement last Saturday (Oct 15), urged Sabah Barisan to go solo for GE15 in the state, saying the GRS-Barisan alliance in Sabah will only give an advantage to Perikatan Nasional.
Kurup said 99% of the PBRS divisions and its grassroots members were against an electoral pact between Barisan and GRS, which is led by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor who heads the Sabah chapter of the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
Kurup's statement comes hours after Sabah Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said there will be no clash with GRS in the sharing of the 25 Parliament seats in the state on a 50:50 basis.
PBRS Youth Chief Dr Edwin Laimin and the party’s Batu Sapi coordinator Mohd Fazil Ajak subsequently backed the call made by their president.
Besides Sabah STAR and Sabah Bersatu, other parties in GRS are Parti Bersatu Sabah, Sabah Progressive Party and the United Sabah National Organisation.
Towards this end, Rizal said Sabah STAR will respect any decision made by the GRS leadership
“As a local party in the GRS, Sabah STAR continues our struggle to fulfill the true aspirations of all Sabahans.
“We also respect PBRS’ call. But if GRS wins, we will support whichever bloc that will form the next government for the sake of Sabahans,” he said.
However, Rizal stressed that this does not mean the GRS-led Sabah government will blindly bow to anyone.
“People vote for us because they know what we stand and fight for. They also know that our president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has always been consistent in his political struggle.
“His opponents can criticise him all they want but the people know that at the core, he always fights for our future generation,” Rizal added.
He said it was important for people to be clear about any political party’s true agenda and not allow themselves to be influenced merely by sentiments.
“Any party can claim to be a local party and that it is fighting for the rights of Sabah and Sabahans. Spend some time to check their track record because talk is always cheap,” he said.
On this note, Rizal said Sabah STAR wanted to contest in five parliamentary seats in GE15.
“I believe it’s a fair request because we are a local party and we are the voice of the people especially in the interior areas of Sabah,” he added.
