Clarify ties with GRS, BN told

Sabah PKR information chief Razeef Rakimin said any collaboration between BN and PH at the next Sabah election should avoid conflict with other parties. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

A Sabah PKR leader has called on Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) to clarify its ties with state ruling coalition Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) after Sabah BN chairman Bung Moktar Radin yesterday said it would not join forces with local parties at the next state polls.

Bung said while the Sabah BN coalition would work with Pakatan Harapan (PH) at the upcoming state election, it would not cooperate with local Sabah parties due to “specific issues”.

In a statement today, Sabah PKR information chief Razeef Rakimin said he welcomed Bung’s announcement and said that Sabah PKR and PH had already stated their openness to collaborating with fellow unity government partners ahead of the Sabah election.

However, Razeef said any collaboration should avoid conflict with other parties.

“In our view, BN needs to clarify its relationship with GRS as we do not want any disputes between the two parties that can cause PH to be caught in the middle, which would hinder campaign operations during the election,” said Razeef.

“What is crucial here is how BN can work alongside PH and GRS within the Sabah government to jointly develop the state, in line with the approach taken by the unity government at the federal level.”

GRS and PH make up the state government while BN sits in the opposition in the state assembly.

While Bung had refused to identify which local parties he was referring to, GRS has eight Sabah-based parties.

The main parties in GRS are Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, Parti Bersatu Sabah, and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku, which together hold the lion’s share of the coalition’s seats in the Sabah assembly.

The other parties are the Sabah Progressive Party, United Sabah National Organisation, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah, Liberal Democratic Party, and Parti Cinta Sabah.

The term of the current state assembly expires in October, and the state election must be held by December.

Last December, GRS reaffirmed its commitment to continued cooperation with Sabah PH at the upcoming state election.

GRS chairman and Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor said he conveyed this commitment to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the PH chairman.

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Clarify ties with GRS, BN told

Sabah PKR information chief Razeef Rakimin responds to Sabah BN chief Bung Moktar Radin’s view that the coalition will not work with local parties at the next state polls.