KOTA KINABALU: The decision by Sabah Star and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) to exit Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is nothing more than a recycled political tactic ahead of the state election, says Sabah Umno.
Its chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said the move was neither strategic nor new, describing it as a “tired ploy repeated by the same actors” in Sabah’s political scene.
“In Sabah politics, too many claim to fight for the people while their hands remain busy grasping for power. As the old Malay saying goes, ‘a fox in a henhouse always pretends to guard, but it is the real predator’,” he said in a statement on Sunday (Oct 5).
Bung said Sabah Star and SAPP’s decision to walk in and out of coalitions at will would not fool the public, who are now more politically aware.
“‘When the tide changes, the shorelines change too.’ These old political theatrics are obsolete. People can now distinguish between true fighters and traders of promises,” he said.
He added that Umno and Barisan Nasional would not compromise their principles for political gain or work with parties practising “double-faced politics.”
“Our focus is clear — to rebuild Sabah with stability, integrity and a genuine sense of direction,” he said, adding that Umno-Barisan remained committed to real political struggle rather than “political theatre that survives on deception and staged performance.”
Sabah Star and SAPP announced their withdrawal from GRS last week after the coalition’s presidential council endorsed an electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan ahead of the coming state polls.
