Gagasan Rakyat set to lead Sabah’s GRS coalition govt

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) is set to become the anchor party for the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition government that strengthens its position as a major player in the East Malaysia Bloc.

“It’s all local parties now (in GRS),” Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor told reporters after launching Gagasan Rakyat here.

Besides Gagasan Rakyat, of which Hajiji is the president, other parties in GRS are Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah STAR, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and the United Sabah National Organisation (Usno).

This will be “our new home”, said Hajiji, who is also GRS chairman, adding many had questioned the presence of national-based Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in GRS when the coalition was officially launched in May 2022.

“Last time, many people criticised when we had Bersatu in GRS, saying it was a contrast to Sarawak,” he said, referring to the all-local Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government.

“So, now it’s up to the people to think if it is the same or not with Sarawak but we have already embraced the Sabah people’s aspirations to use a local party (to helm GRS),” he said.

Hajiji, the former Sabah Bersatu chief, led an exodus of leaders and members including assemblymen from the Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin-led party on Dec 10.

Gagasan Rakyat now has 25 assemblymen while its GRS coalition partners hold 14 seats in the 79-member state assembly, giving them a total of 39 seats in the assembly.

GRS is backed by seven assemblymen from Pakatan Harapan and friendly parties that give them a slightly more than two-thirds majority in the assembly.

On the adoption of the anti-party hopping law in Sabah, Hajiji said the state Cabinet would make a decision on when to table the law in the state assembly.

Sabah Opposition parties have been calling for the state government to enact the law, which has been in force at the federal level.

Parti Warisan secretary-general Datuk Loretto Padua Jr had on Tuesday (Feb 28) said that the state government seemed to have intentionally delayed the move to implement the law in Sabah.

This was in the midst of assemblymen from the Opposition crossing the floor to support Hajiji’s GRS government.

“It is not delayed,” Hajiji said, before adding, “it is up to the Cabinet to decide but we have not reached a decision so, be patient.”

On memberships for Gagasan Rakyat, Hajiji said they were now able to mobilise their divisions and branches to recruit as many members as they could statewide.

“We have only just begun but looking at the reception at the launch today, I am confident this party will be accepted by the people.

“And of course, this will enable us together with other GRS component parties and Sabah Pakatan Harapan in the government to administer the state better,” he said.