Arnold Puyok of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) said the proposed merger will strengthen the support of the KDM community for both parties.
“The community is already politically fragmented. When the two biggest Kadazandusun-Murut-based parties merge, it augurs well in terms of their political representation at the state and federal levels,” he told FMT.
He said both STAR and PBS derive their mandate mainly from KDM voters and are seen as staunch defenders of Sabah rights.
“From the ideological and policy point of view, a merger between the parties is practically doable.”
Puyok said the main challenges faced by the two parties would be deciding who would lead the new entity and whether the old guard would be willing to give way to new leaders.
The idea of a PBS-STAR merger was revived by STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan on July 1 in a bid to strengthen the two KDM-based parties.
Kitingan, who is Sabah’s deputy chief minister, said the idea was first floated following Sabah’s last state election in 2020.
PBS information chief Joniston Bangkuai supported the merger, saying it would be a strategic move. However, he said, seat distribution and candidate selection would pose a challenge.
Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah said the community had become divided due to the existence of too many parties. He said KDM leaders ought to work together to fight for Sabah’s rights.
“A united community can raise issues faced by the community and have their voices heard, especially those contained under the Malaysian Agreement 1963,” he said.
He also said a PBS-STAR merger would prevent seat clashes during elections as both parties were components of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
STAR has six representatives in the state assembly while PBS has seven. The two parties are coalition partners in GRS, which forms the state government.
Meanwhile, UiTM Sabah’s Tony Paridi Bagang said the KDM community played a significant role in balancing and preventing other parties from establishing political dominance in the state.
“The community has been politically divided due to their leaders. If the merger materialises, it will minimise factions within the community,” he said, adding that both parties must however be willing to make compromises and get grassroots’ support.