KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) believes that Upko’s application to be a component party of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) will be acceptable if there is sincerity in the move.
PBS acting president Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam (pic) said if Upko can convince the GRS supreme council that it would not leave whenever it liked, and was truly committed to being part of the state ruling coalition, then approving the application should not be a problem.
He said so far, neither PBS nor the GRS supreme council has deliberated on Upko’s bid.
"Personally, I think it would be good to work together if the party is really sincere and will not leave as and when it likes. It’s a commitment that should be honoured unless there is a mutual agreement (to part ways)," he said when contacted on Wednesday (June 3).
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Asked if a contract should be considered to prevent Upko or any component parties from leaving the fold, Joachim said it was not necessary.
"This is only a form of cooperation. I don’t think a contract would be useful or good. It is a party's (resolve) to be part of a bigger coalition that matters," he added.
Upko applied to be part of the GRS coalition on May 29, just months after quitting Pakatan Harapan in early November last year.
GRS currently has five component parties: Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor's Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), PBS, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (PHRS).
Three other parties – Usno, led by Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia; Sabah STAR, led by Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan; and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) under Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee – left GRS within the past few months.
