KOTA KINABALU: Five of six Sabah Star assemblymen are defying party president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan's decision for the party to withdraw from and have instead expressed support for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
On Monday (Oct 6), Datuk Flovia Ng (Tulid), Datuk Ellron Alfred Angin (Sook), Datuk Abidin Madingkir (Paginatan) and Datuk Annuar Ayub Aman (Liawan) were present with GRS leaders during Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor's announcement of the state assembly's dissolution, signalling their ongoing support for GRS ahead of the 17th state election.
It is understood that Datuk Robert Tawik (Bingkor) also planned to attend but was unable to do so due to health reasons.
Their move means Kitingan will be the only Sabah STAR representative not aligned with GRS. He is expected to defend his Tambunan seat.
At a press conference after the announcement, Hajiji confirmed that the Sabah STAR assemblymen had decided to support GRS.
"They have made it clear to me that they are backing GRS," he said.
Earlier, Hajiji said that with Sabah STAR and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) deciding to contest under their own respective logos in the upcoming state election, their membership in GRS was automatically terminated.
Sabah STAR and SAPP announced their exit from the coalition last week after disagreeing with GRS' decision to work with Pakatan Harapan in the coming polls.
