Armizan Mohd Ali, a member of the coalition’s leadership consultative council, said the secretariat’s chief, Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki of Umno, and PH secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had triggered unnecessary political controversy in Sabah with their announcement.

Armizan, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah deputy secretary-general, said the error had compelled Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to field questions at a press conference in Tawau later regarding whether the alliance would also include GRS.

Anwar reportedly expressed hope that GRS would form part of the BN-PH pact to ensure political stability at both federal and state levels.

“Asyraf and Saifuddin must exercise greater care in their actions,” Armizan told reporters at an event in Papar, Sabah. “While they are free to issue official statements on behalf of their respective coalitions, the official letterhead of the unity government coalition secretariat should be used only for announcements that reflect the consensus of all coalition parties.”

Armizan questioned whether the secretariat had the authority to make such statements without consulting members of the leadership council. “Will the secretariat be allowed to make similar announcements for the Sarawak election?” he said.

Armizan urged unity government leadership consultative council secretary-general Fadillah Yusof to look into the matter and take immediate steps to prevent its reoccurrence in the future.

Last Friday, Asyraf and Saifuddin announced that BN and PH would work together at the Sabah state elections, scheduled for later this year.