KOTA KINABALU: The eight-party Gubungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition must immediately resolve uncertainties with its political alignment with Pakatan Harapan, says Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee.
"With less than 10 months until the state elections, we urge GRS to urgently resolve any uncertainties surrounding the GRS-Pakatan alignment," said the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president, whose party is part of GRS.
His statement comes as the four-party Sabah Pakatan is expected to meet soon to discuss its position with GRS following the controversy over the mining bribery scandal implicating eight GRS assemblymen.
"Regardless of what Sabah DAP or Pakatan leaders may say, the ultimate decision-making power remains with their headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
"As we can see, Pakatan and Barisan Nasional have solidified their alliance, irrespective of GRS' one-way goodwill towards Pakatan," said Yong, referring to GRS' close relations with Sabah Pakatan and broken relations with Sabah Barisan.
SAPP, together with Sabah STAR led by Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Usno under Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, have been pushing for the GRS coalition to go it alone in the coming state elections due by September 2025.
GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who is Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah chairman, had previously said he was keen to work with Sabah Pakatan in the coming state polls.
However, Sabah Pakatan may be reconsidering its position with GRS due to the scandal.
Yong also said that there was no possibility Sabah DAP would leave the GRS-led state government.
He said DAP's so-called "review" of its position was more likely a negotiation tactic for more posts, including in the Sabah Cabinet.
"If anti-corruption were really a principle on how DAP chooses its government partners, they would not have joined hands with Barisan and Umno in November 2022," he said.
He said people remember how DAP, for more than 50 years, had condemned Umno as a "corrupt party".
"In the last two years, DAP is comfortable partnering Umno at all levels of government and even campaigning for them at state elections and by-elections," he said.
GRS forged a coalition with Sabah Pakatan in January 2023 after Sabah Barisan, led by Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, withdrew its support for Hajiji who eventually held to power with the support of Pakatan assemblymen and defectors from Umno.
