KOTA KINABALU: Five Sabah STAR renegades who left the party will contest as Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) direct candidates if the coalition picks them to defend their seats in the Nov 29 Sabah election.
Incumbent Liawan assemblyman Datuk Annuar Ayub Aman said that all five distanced themselves from Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan's decision to take the party out of the coalition.
“We did not 'abandon' Sabah STAR...we chose to stay with GRS,” he said, adding that they did not jump into any other party following Sabah STAR's decision to exit GRS on Oct 1.
Apart from Annuar, Datuk Ellron Angin (Sook), Datuk Robert Tawik (Bingkor), Datuk Flovia Ng (Tulid), and Datuk Abidin Madingkir (Paginatan) resigned from the party to stand with GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor when he dissolved the assembly on Oct 6.
Kitingan, the Tambunan assemblyman and Keningau MP, decided to make the strategic political shift to withdraw from the GRS coalition as he was against the local coalition teaming up with Pakatan Harapan to keep in line with voter sentiment for local party representation.
However, the move prompted an internal disagreement and has forced him to reorganise his party.
Tawik, meanwhile, called on party members and supporters to continue backing GRS under the leadership of Hajiji to maintain political stability and progress in the coming election.
He said that while he respects Sabah STAR’s decision to contest the election independently, the priority now was to ensure continued political stability and development achieved under the GRS government in 2020.
He also denied claims that Sabah STAR was “expelled” from GRS, clarifying that the decision to leave the coalition was made voluntarily by Sabah STAR’s leadership.
“We must speak based on facts. GRS did not expel STAR; rather, STAR chose to leave and contest independently. However, many grassroots STAR members still support GRS policies because they have clearly benefited the people,” he added.
Tawik, the former Sabah STAR deputy president, said that the stability achieved over the past five years has brought significant progress to Sabah.
“The people must not risk the state’s future with new uncertainties,” he said in a statement.
