GRS tackling multiple membership concerns

KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is grappling with the problem of individuals who signed up as members in more than one of the coalition’s seven component parties.

This situation has prompted calls for a resolution to prevent misunderstandings and potential poaching among the parties

One of them is Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah’s (Gagasan Rakyat) Lumandan division chief Mazlan Joehari Manan, who called on those applying for membership in any particular party to be upfront about their political status within GRS.

Apart from Gagasan Rakyat, which is headed by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, the other six parties within GRS are Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah STAR, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), United Sabah National Organisation (Usno), Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat) and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

“There is no denying that the situation happened; the problem is not that one party snatched members from another party, but that the members themselves were not truthful about their political status.

“It’s important for members to be honest and sincere in their political struggle because it would have an impact on GRS as a whole, especially during the state election when it is called,” Mazlan said in Beaufort yesterday.

Gagasan Rakyat’s Klias division chief Datuk Isnin Aliasnih said measures were being taken to identify the status of applicants through online checking.

“For members who previously joined a political party and now apply to be a member of Gagasan Rakyat, we will make sure they have a resignation letter to ensure they are not members of more than one party,” he said.

Earlier, when launching the party’s Wanita Zone 3 roadshow in Sabah’s southwestern Beaufort district, Gagasan Rakyat vice-president Datuk Arifin Arif said the existing consensus among GRS component parties needed to be maintained for political stability and the people’s benefit.