Sabah Umno strategic communications director Rosman Ahir Zaman said Hajiji’s announcement “sounds like a veiled threat”.

GRS must show that it is brave enough to stand by this stance, he said. “If GRS is a principled coalition, then dissolve the state assembly immediately without waiting for an automatic dissolution.”

He urged GRS to dare to move forward without hesitation. “They must prove that they are not a ‘breeding ground for political frogs’, but a principled local coalition ready to reject external political interference,” he added in a statement.

Earlier today, Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional said they would cooperate for the elections. Hajiji then stated that GRS, the Sabah ruling coalition, was ready to contest the elections on its own if the PH-BN tie-up was a done deal.

GRS and PH are currently allies in Hajiji’s government, while BN sits in the opposition in the state assembly with Warisan. All four parties are allies in the federal government.

Earlier today, the unity government coalition secretariat announced that PH and BN have agreed to work together for the elections. In response, Hajiji said GRS was ready to contest solo and focus on working with other local parties.

Hajiji said GRS has consistently held that local Sabah parties should be the backbone of the state government as they had a better understanding of the realities, cultures and needs of Sabahans.