KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is considering a proposal to limit a chief minister’s tenure to two consecutive terms, says its deputy secretary-general Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
He said this was among the goals of the coalition's manifesto and policies but it can only be achieved with a two-thirds majority in the state assembly.
With that, he said GRS must strive to secure this majority in the upcoming Sabah election.
Previously, Sabah practised a rotation system for the chief minister's post to allow representatives from the Muslim bumiputra, non-Muslim bumiputra, and Chinese communities to take turns helming the state for two years each.
Then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad introduced this system in 1994 but it was discontinued after the 2004 general election.
Armizan also said a strong majority would allow the coalition to push through its agendas for the people, based on the Sabah Maju Jaya development initiative and the four pillars of its struggle.
"The four (pillars) are Sabah First, Sabah Forward, Sabah Prosper dan Sabah United. To see the Sabah Maju Jaya agenda through, we must walk the talk and ensure the work is done," he said here on Thursday (July 17).
Armizan said these components were decided by the GRS and Pakatan Harapan state administration in December 2023.
“Reformation needs amendments to the state constitution, and this can only be done with a two-thirds vote in the assembly,” he stressed.
Based on analysts' observations, however, no single coalition or party is seen to be able to form the next state government, and mergers of coalitions or parties seem inevitable.
There is a growing grassroots call for GRS to go solo in the polls, while its federal partners hope it will continue to work with Sabah Pakatan, and even Barisan Nasional.
On the other hand, Sabah Barisan is willing to work with Sabah Pakatan but has reiterated its refusal to collaborate with GRS, while GRS claims that the door for negotiation has not been closed yet.
