Citing the party’s bitter past experience in working with the coalition, Sabah Umno elections director Jeffery Nor Mohamed said it was important for the party not to team up with those who do not honour commitments that have been made.

“It is quite improbable for Umno to partner with a coalition that lacks loyalty and sincerity in fulfilling its responsibilities to advocate for the welfare of the people of Sabah,” the Jesselton Times quoted him as saying.

Jeffery, who is Putatan Umno chief, said working with GRS for the elections in 2020 had been a mistake but also a valuable lesson for the party.

He claimed the Hajiji Noor-led GRS displayed a lack of sincerity in forming the state government after the elections. He recounted how Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin was sworn in as the state minister for local government and housing despite a prior agreement that he would be given the works portfolio.

Bung was later named as works minister, attributing the change to miscommunication.

On Friday, Hajiji said GRS was still open to working with Sabah Umno and Barisan Nasional again as “in politics, nothing is impossible”.

The chief minister also pointed out that the GRS-led state government currently included several Sabah Umno representatives, though they have been suspended from their party.

This includes deputy chief minister Shahelmey Yahya, who refused to heed Sabah Umno’s withdrawal of support for Hajiji in January last year.

However, Jeffery maintained that Shahelmey does not represent Sabah Umno and had already been suspended as an Umno member.

“If it wasn’t for the anti-hopping law, I am confident that he would have joined GRS by now,” he said.