PUTRAJAYA: The federal government has no objections to Sarawak’s initiative to offer free tertiary education, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.
He said this was because the state has the financial means and administrative capability to do so.
“Therefore, no party should make any other impression on the steps taken by the Sarawak state government.
“In the context of the federal government, we always cooperate with any state in our efforts to further improve the quality of education, whether at the primary or higher education level,” he said after launching the ‘Karisma: Aspiring Madani Leaders; The 3H Leadership Module’ during the 2025 Karisma programme for Madani young leaders on Monday (May 26).
Meanwhile, on the Sabah state elections, Zambry said seat negotiations are not confined to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, as Barisan Nasional (BN) is open to broader cooperation involving various parties.
Zambry, who is also Barisan's secretary-general, said discussions — both direct and indirect — have already begun, involving multiple political stakeholders in Sabah.
“We are not limiting negotiations only to Pakatan. As the Barisan chairman (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) mentioned, our steps include working with others as well — Barisan, Pakatan, and the ‘plus-plus’ group, which includes parties from Sabah,” he said.
Zambry was responding to Ahmad Zahid’s statement on Sunday (May 25) in which he said that the coalition is open to negotiations with any component party within the unity government regarding seat allocations for the upcoming Sabah state election.
He also said that Barisan was committed to building a stronger political consensus in Sabah, taking into account the voices and strengths of component parties and strategic partners at the state level.
“Even within Barisan and Pakatan, we have Sabah-based parties. So we recognise the importance of local support and do not want these negotiations to appear focused only on two coalitions,” he added.
He said that the negotiation process would continue progressively, taking into account the interests of the people of Sabah and the current political landscape in the state.
“The process is ongoing, and we are open to all forms of negotiations and proposals that can lead to the best possible consensus,” he said.
