KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno chief Datuk Bung Moktar Radin (pic) has confirmed that a majority of the 25 Sabah Umno divisions are against an electoral pact with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
"Based on our ground reports, a majority of our divisions are rejecting cooperation with GRS," he said when contacted on Monday (Feb 10).
He was asked to comment on a report quoting sources that 22 of the 25 divisions have rejected forming an electoral pact with GRS in the coming Sabah election to be held within this year.
ALSO READ: Almost all Sabah Umno divisions oppose electoral pact with Hajiji's GRS
However, Bung Moktar said he was unaware of any meetings with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who proposed an electoral pact between GRS and Pakatan Harapan.
"I have not attended any such discussions of electoral pacts with Anwar and other leaders," he said.
Bung Moktar reiterated that Sabah Umno has been consistent with its stand that it was prepared to work with Pakatan and local parties not linked to GRS.
In the 2020 snap state election, Sabah Barisan and GRS forged a coalition that toppled the two-year-old Warisan-Pakatan government led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
However, after GE15 in 2022, Bung withdrew Sabah Barisan's support for Hajiji who managed to survive the crisis with the support of defecting Umno assemblymen and Sabah Pakatan.
ALSO READ: No pacts, GRS must face Sabah polls alone, says Usno's Pandikar
Bung, the Kinabatangan MP and Lamag assemblyman, had previously said that many pre-election agreements and understandings with Hajji and GRS before the state election were not honoured.
Bung Moktar's deputy in Sabah Umno, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, is a strong proponent of collaborating with GRS.
Political circles here said Anwar hoped to forge an electoral pact involving key parties within the federal unity government, sharing the 73 state seats.
Sources said Hajiji, who heads the GRS component Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), is agreeable to a GRS pact with Pakatan but is not keen to work with Barisan under Bung Moktar.
However, he is facing mounting pressure from coalition partners who want GRS to go solo in the state election.
ALSO READ: MACC asked to speed up graft probe involving Sabah assemblymen
Sabah STAR led by Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, Sabah Progressive party (SAPP) led by Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee and Usno led by Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia want GRS to contest all seats.
Recent allegations of corruption implicating eight Gagasan Rakyat assemblymen including three ministers has also put Hajiji's party on the back foot pending the completion of investigations.
Quiet political talks between various political party leaders are taking place, with observrrs anticipating fresh electoral pacts to be forged.
Other parties in the federal unity government that oppose GRS are Parti Warisan led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Parti KDM led by Datuk Peter Anthony.
