Datuk Kalakau Untol
KOTA KINABALU: Grassroots pressure is mounting on Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan to pull the party out of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition ahead of the state election.
Sulaman division chief Datuk Kalakau Untol (pic) has urged the party to withdraw from GRS, which he said was increasingly entangled in the coalition’s pact with Pakatan Harapan.
“Enough is enough! The people of Sabah are tired of endless political games that put coalition deals above the real struggles of ordinary Sabahans.
“Today, I call on STAR to make a clean and bold break from GRS,” he said, adding that staying in the coalition was no longer an option.
Kalakau said those who had hoped GRS would go solo were disappointed that it had partnered with Pakatan, which is also working with Barisan Nasional.
“This deep disappointment is causing many supporters to vent their anger on social media.
“Should STAR keep delaying its exit from GRS, we face the real risk of losing supporters in the coming state election,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said Sabah STAR was founded on championing the people’s rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963, but its voice in GRS was being sidelined by Kuala Lumpur-centric politics.
“Sabah STAR’s identity and spirit are slowly being silenced by compromises that do not reflect the heartbeat of the rakyat,” added Kalakau, who served as deputy Labour minister from 1986 to 1990.
Talks of Sabah STAR leaving the eight-party state ruling coalition have been simmering for over a year, with the party forging a “unity pact” with fellow component Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), led by acting president Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam.
Sabah STAR and PBS, the two second-largest components of GRS with a combined 13 non-Muslim native seats, reiterated last week that GRS should contest 55 of the 73 state seats with Pakatan but rejected any deal with Barisan.
Party insiders said Sabah STAR wants PBS to also quit GRS if it decides to pull out before the state election, which must be held before Nov 11.
However, key PBS leaders, including Gunsalam, remain firm about staying in GRS, despite pressure from influential veteran PBS figures for the party to team up with Sabah STAR and go solo.
The veterans want the two non-Muslim native parties to focus on the 25 Kadazandusun, Murut and Rungus seats.
Kalakau said he was disappointed with PBS leaders who, he claimed, remained beholden to the coalition’s call for loyalty despite the conflict of interest in having to work with both Pakatan and Barisan.
“If PBS decides to abandon the proposed PBSTAR merger or collaboration, let Sabah STAR move on to fight by grouping with other local parties,” he said.
