KOTA KINABALU: The four MPs from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) will remain with the state coalition as direct members and not join Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in the local party he will now lead, Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah.
Hajiji, who is GRS chairman, and the MPs are among the Sabah leaders who quit Bersatu after they supported the federal unity government following the 15th General Election (GE15). They then announced that they were direct members of GRS.
Yesterday, GRS’ Papar MP Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said there would be no change in their political affiliation.
“We will not join Gagasan Rakyat because the anti-hopping law does not allow us to change.
“We will remain direct members of GRS, just as before the general election,” the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department told reporters here after the launch of the GRS students’ wing by Hajiji yesterday.
The other three GRS MPs are Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Datuk Matbali Musah (Sipitang), and Datuk Jonathan Yasin (Ranau).
Earlier yesterday, Hajiji said Gagasan Rakyat would be the new political vehicle for former Sabah Bersatu members.
The national-level Bersatu had previously attempted to vacate the four MP seats under GRS as the party claimed that the four were Bersatu members who contested on a GRS ticket.
However, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Johari Abdul recently rejected Bersatu’s bid after the four MPs argued that they had already been direct members of GRS when they contested GE15.
On Bersatu’s intention to challenge the Speaker’s decision, Armizan said it would be left to the courts.
The position of the four MPs became contentious when Hajiji led the exodus of leaders out of Sabah Bersatu on Dec 8 to become GRS direct members.
As for the Sabah state assembly, it is expected to see the tabling of the anti-hopping law in March.
Meanwhile, Hajiji said he is set to be the president of Gagasan Rakyat, which will be launched very soon.
At the same event, he said Gagasan Rakyat – previously headed by a little-known politician, Stephen Jimbangan – had already been admitted as a component party of GRS on Dec 9 last year.
“We will mobilise and continue our struggle and ideas for the people and development of the country.
“After this, there will be no more issues to dispute my position as Chief Minister.
“What is important is that I have received the support of the majority of the state assemblymen and now I will lead a party,” he told reporters.
Sources said the official line-up of the party would be announced at the launch and state Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun was expected to be the deputy president while Jimbangan would also be included in the party supreme council.
Hajiji’s move out of Bersatu to remain as a direct member of GRS triggered a bid earlier this month by Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin to withdraw his support from the GRS-Barisan state government.
Bung Moktar, together with Parti Warisan led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Parti KDM led by Datuk Peter Anthony, claimed that Hajiji was party-less and should not remain as Chief Minister, saying it was against Sabah’s constitution which requires the chief minister to be the “leader of the party with the largest number of assemblymen”.
However, the political coup was foiled when Hajiji managed to obtain the support of 44 assemblymen including five renegades from Sabah Barisan to hold on to his majority in the 79-member Sabah assembly.
During his speech at the launch of the GRS students’ wing here yesterday, Hajiji said some people were “envious” of the success of the GRS government in bringing back state rights as well as development to the people.
However, Hajiji did not refer directly to the failed move to oust him.
On a question about the position of two Sabah Barisan-Umno assemblymen – Datuk Harun Durabi (Bengkoka) and Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy (Tanjung Batu) – who were state assistant ministers, Hajiji said they would remain in their positions.
The two stood with Bung Moktar in the attempt to topple Hajiji.
Gagasan Rakyat was formed in August 2013 and has contested unsuccessfully in several general elections.
