KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is adamant that its partnership in the upcoming state election will not include Barisan Nasional.
Its chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said while any official cooperation has yet to be formed, the coalition's priority is to maintain the existing state government formed together with Pakatan Harapan.
“Cooperation? Not yet. We want cooperation. For now, we are defending the current government.
"The GRS-Pakatan government is our foundation. And we have conveyed this to the Right Honourable Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
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“So, (as for) other matters, we will discuss them. The election has not happened yet. Dissolution (of the state assembly) has not happened either.
“So, just be patient. I will inform you,” he told the media when met at the Kota Kinabalu- Labuan ferry service launch here on Tuesday (May 27).
He was responding to recent statements by Sabah PKR chief Datuk Mustapaha Sakmud urging GRS to finalise cooperation ahead of the election.
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Hajiji, however, declined to comment further on the election date or strategy, instead urging all parties to await the final decision from GRS leadership.
Earlier, the Chief Minister stressed that GRS would consider going solo if current state government partner Pakatan confirms its electoral pact with Barisan.
The Pakatan-Barisan agreement was reached in a top-level meeting on May 8 between Pakatan chairman and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Barisan chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
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It was announced by the Unity Government Secretariat in a joint statement the following day.
However, Anwar, during his visit to Tawau later that week, said GRS was not out of the picture yet when it came to political cooperation.
Anwar noted that he had discussed the matter with Hajiji about continuing the collaboration between Pakatan and GRS.
