KEPALA BATAS: Barisan Nasional will consider forming a grand coalition with Pakatan Harapan and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) for the upcoming Sabah state election.
Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that a discussion is being held with GRS on the continuing collaboration between Pakatan and GRS.
"We will carefully examine the announcement and address any points of difference within the grand coalition, which encompasses the three existing coalitions," he said during the proclamation of ceremony to rename Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) Kepala Batas to MRSM Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at the college on Monday (May 12).
The Umno president said the consideration of the grand coalition will take into account the seats that will be contested by Barisan and not overlap with one another.
He said it is also Umno's principle that if any seat won by Umno has its assemblyman defect to another party, the party will claim that seat first.
He said there are several seats that originally belonged to Umno-Barisan and were agreed to be contested by Umno were manipulated at the last minute, resulting in four seats being contested by former Umno leaders.
On Sunday (May 11), Anwar said there is still a possibility that GRS will cooperate with Pakatan and Barisan for the Sabah election,
Anwar said he had just discussed the matter with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, during which they talked about continuing collaboration between Pakatan and GRS.
Anwar said this after he attended the Sabah PKR State Leadership Council meeting.
Last Friday (May 9), Pakatan and Barisan announced their agreement to cooperate for the upcoming Sabah state election.
GRS consists of eight parties, including Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, Parti Bersatu Sabah, Sabah Progressive Party, Sabah Star, United Sabah National Organisation, Parti Cinta Sabah, Liberal Democratic Party and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah.
Meanwhile, Sabah Pakatan has four parties — United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation, PKR, DAP and Amanah.
