Ewon, however, said Sabah PH should have the autonomy to determine its partnerships and the nature of cooperation with other parties.

“There is no conclusive agreement at this moment,” he was quoted as saying by The Jesselton Times.

Ewon said Sabah PH must select allies who share the same goals, particularly in advocating for the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) that includes demands for one-third of the seats in the Dewan Rakyat and a 40% share of revenue.

Last month, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah chairman Hajiji Noor expressed confidence that the coalition and PH would continue to govern Sabah after the state election, which is expected to be held next year.

Barisan Nasional, however, stated that it had finalised its cooperation with PH in the next state polls. Sabah Umno deputy chief Abdul Rahman Dahlan later said an alliance involving PH, BN and GRS was the most promising for the state election.

Sabah Umno had withdrawn its support for Hajiji in January 2023 but failed to unseat the chief minister, who then roped in PH into the state government. A handful of Sabah Umno assemblymen had also refused to retract their support for Hajiji.

Separately, at a PBS event in Penampang today, Hajiji reportedly said that Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s comments on a BN-PH collaboration in Sabah were merely the latter’s personal view.

“We believe in GRS and our strength. So, we’ll see how it goes. I can’t comment on that because it’s his perspective,” he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.

“But what we are focusing on is the unity among the coalition parties in GRS, including PBS.”