Sabah's GRS now seven-party coalition after two local parties admitted

KOTA KINABALU: Two local parties that had applied to join Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) have been accepted as official components of the ruling state coalition, says Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun (pic).

The GRS secretary-general said its supreme council, which met on Wednesday (April 5) afternoon had unanimously approved the application by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat), respectively, to join as GRS component parties.

“GRS now has seven members (namely) Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah STAR, the United National Sabah Organisation (Usno), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), LDP and Harapan Rakyat,” he said, in a short statement late Wednesday (April 5).

Gagasan Rakyat, which is led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, is the anchor party of GRS.

Harapan Rakyat and LDP were among four parties whose application to join GRS were pending.

Parti Cinta Sabah led by senator and former foreign minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and Parti KDM led by Datuk Peter Anthony were the two other parties that had applied to become GRS components.

Harapan Rakyat, led by Tan Sri Liew Yun Fah, has a sole assemblyman in Rina Jainal who is the Kukusan rep.

She had won the seat under a Parti Warisan ticket in the Sabah state snap election in September 2020 but quit the party headed by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal on June 5 last year to join Harapan Rakyat.

LDP, which is led by Datuk Chin Su Phin, does not have any seat in the 79-member state assembly.