KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chose to support the Madani government after the federal election 2022 because of a former government leader’s apparent dislike for the idea of a Borneo bloc, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The GRS chairman said he was deeply shocked by the individual, which led him to lose the will to cooperate with them.
“He called himself a ‘master’ and said he didn’t like the Borneo bloc. He didn’t want us to share stories or experiences with our neighbouring state Sarawak.
“I was stunned by those words. I kept thinking about his intentions. The more I thought, the more disheartened I became.
“In the end, I decided to take GRS to support the unity government,” the Sabah Chief Minister said during the presidential winding-up speech at the 2025 Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) annual general assembly here on Sunday (July 27).
Hajiji said backing the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was the right move, as Sabah has since seen gradual returns of its rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
He said it was previously difficult to get the federal government to delegate powers or approve Sabah’s requests.
“So, if the unity government is good for our state, why shouldn’t we support it?” he added.
Earlier today, Hajiji confirmed that GRS and Pakatan would contest the election as an electoral pact, saying both coalitions would “continue the cooperation between GRS and Pakatan as it stands today."
The Borneo bloc was an effort following the 2018 general election to give Sabah and Sarawak MPs a greater voice for the region in the federal government.
Following the November 2022 general election, Hajiji led a mass exodus to support the Unity Government, abandoning Perikatan Nasional and Bersatu.
Hajiii and senior leaders of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah were with Bersatu, led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at that time.
Meanwhile, during a press conference later, Hajiji said he would be accompanying Anwar to Jakarta, Indonesia.
He said both leaders would be discussing issues related to development and Sabah’s long-standing maritime boundary claim involving Ambalat with the Indonesian government.
