Hajiji said his confidence is based on the increasing acceptance and support from the people towards Gagasan Rakyat as a component party in GRS, Bernama reported.

He urged party leaders in every division to organise the party machinery well and strengthen the party before the state assembly is dissolved.

Speaking at a party divisional meeting in Tongod, Sandakan, he said Gagasan Rakyat still needs the cooperation of its allies to govern and develop the state even though the party had received good support from the Sabah people.

He said the party has nearly 300,000 members and 73 divisions. Gagasan Rakyat, registered in 2013, was taken over by Hajiji and his supporters earlier this year.

He said there was a call to focus on local parties as in Sarawak, “but this does not mean we don’t want to collaborate with national parties”.

The ruling GRS coalition also includes Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), United Sabah National Organisation (Usno), Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (PHRS) and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Hajiji became chief minister after leading the GRS coalition to victory in the state assembly elections of September 2020. The next elections are due only in late 2025.

In a separate event, Hajiji as chief minister presented 421 native land grants involving 790 hectares of land to residents from 15 villages in Tongod.