KOTA KINABALU: Parti KDM has denied claims that it is negotiating the formation of a new Borneo bloc called Gerakan Bersatu Sabah (GBS).
Its deputy president Datuk Wetrom Bahanda said the party did not discuss the possibility of forming a pact with anyone, including Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
Recent news reports quoted Kitingan as saying Sabah STAR had approached several local parties, including Parti KDM, on the proposed formation of GBS.
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"The news report stating that Kitingan met with me on the possibility of recruiting us for GBS is not true and in fact, (it was) never discussed," Wetrom said in a statement on Tuesday (Oct 21).
He insisted that parti KDM will contest the coming state election on its own, in line with the wishes of its grassroots.
He said there was no way that the party would betray the wishes of its supporters.
The concept of GBS is to form a bloc of local parties such as Sabah STAR and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) to contest the Nov 29 polls.
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SAPP and Sabah STAR were previously part of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition led by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, but they pulled out to contest the state election as fully local entities.
It is speculated that Kitingan will launch GBS several days before Nomination Day on Nov 15/
In the report by a news portal, it was also claimed that Kitingan had some reservations about Parti KDM being part of GBS because of its earlier announcement that it would vie for 38 seats.
He noted that seat allocations between Sabah STAR and SAPP would have to change if Parti KDM agreed to be part of GBS.
