Sabah PAS commissioner Aliakbar Gulasan said voters prioritise sincerity and integrity in parties committed to developing the state.
“The issue isn’t solely about having a Sabah-based party; it’s more about advocating for Sabah’s interests and ensuring integrity in development efforts,” he told FMT.
“In the context of Sarawak, the background of the political party’s existence might be different. What the Sabahans want is a party that is sincere and honest in representing their voice and struggle.”
Aliakbar acknowledged the potential benefits of forming two major coalitions in Sabah to prevent disunity but stressed the need to allow the people to freely practice democracy.
He was responding to a recent FMT report in which Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) political analyst Bilcher Bala was quoted as saying that disunity among Sabah parties is a major reason they fail to dominate the state, unlike in Sarawak, where unity among the parties is prioritised.
Bilcher said Sabah-based parties should consolidate under a single umbrella, similar to Gabungan Parti Sarawak, to prevent national parties from gaining an advantage.
Meanwhile, a senior Sabah PKR leader, who wished to remain anonymous, also rejected the political analyst’s notion of disunity.
“For me, it’s a confidence crisis towards the party and local leadership,” the leader said, citing historical failures of local parties like Usno, Berjaya and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) in leading the state.
“Why did they fail and were replaced by other local parties or national parties? The answer is that the public lost faith towards a party’s leadership style and performance.”
The PKR leader also said Sabah’s political situation should not be directly compared with that of Sarawak, which has consistently been governed by local parties.
The leader added that a developed Sabah can still be achieved without relying solely on local party leadership.
The leader went on to say that the slogan “Sabah for Sabahans” may not be entirely practical and that effective governance depends on leadership quality rather than party origin.
“It would (actually) smoothen the process of implementing the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and development if there is alignment with the central leadership.”