KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has reminded its members of the support provided by Pakatan Harapan during the January 2023 Sabah political crisis.
PBS acting president Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam said that if it were not for Pakatan at that time, PBS might have been in the opposition stand.
In that event, Sabah Barisan had withdrawn its support for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), but Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor remained in power with the backing of Sabah Pakatan assemblymen.
Gunsalam said this was why GRS would continue to work with Pakatan in the coming state election and why there was a need for PBS members to give their full support.
Gunsalam called on all party members to also stay united and work with other GRS partners to face the upcoming state election.
He advised against blindly trusting social media messages, as there were daily efforts to weaken the connection between PBS, Sabah STAR and Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah within GRS.
“If you have any doubts, ask your division chiefs for clarification. Division chiefs who are unsure of anything, please refer to the central leadership first before issuing any statement or response to any issues,” he said.
Gunsalam said this when officiating the annual general meeting for three divisions: Lamag, Sukau and Sekong in Sandakan, on Saturday (Aug 16).
His statement came after Sabah STAR stated its intention to contest in Chinese-majority seats in the coming state election.
Chinese majority seats are usually allocated to partner parties in Pakatan.
GRS is an eight-party coalition made up of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, Usno, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), Sabah STAR, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Parti Cinta Sabah.
