KOTA KINABALU: The departure of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) from Perikatan Nasional will not affect the coalition's preparation for the state elections, says Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee.
The Sabah Perikatan chairman said SAPP had a minimal role in Perikatan and was not an active component member as it was also part of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), which is part of the unity government.
However, Kiandee, who is also Bersatu vice president and Sabah Bersatu chairman, said SAPP had no right to prevent Perikatan from contesting in the state elections.
Kiandee was commenting on SAPP president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee's announcement on Saturday (Dec 14) that the party had pulled out of Perikatan because the national-level coalition wanted to contest in the coming state elections.
He said national parties should stay out of Sabah and leave only local parties to contest.
He said the Perikatan supreme council on Dec 9 had accepted SAPP's decision.
Kiandee, who is also Beluran MP, noted that SAPP, who contested under the Perikatan symbol in the September 2020 state election, did not win any seat and were only given a nominated seat (to Yong) in the state assembly.
He said Bersatu, which contested under the Perikatan symbol won 11 seats in that election and eventually formed the state government but lost power when its leaders defected to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) after the 2022 General Election.
SAPP, though a member of GRS, was the only Sabah-based party that remained with Perikatan. Sabah STAR left the Opposition coalition to join the unity government through GRS in early 2023.
