In a statement, Bung took aim at PBS acting president Dr Joachim Gunsalam, accusing him of “political self-delusion” for suggesting that his party had turned down Barisan Nasional’s (BN) offer to team up for the state polls.

“Sabah BN never at any point extended an invitation to PBS to collaborate. This appears to be yet another case of political self-delusion, where one imagines conversations and negotiations that simply never took place.

“You cannot reject a proposal that was never made. Please, don’t flatter yourself,” Bung said.

Yesterday, Joachim said the PBS Supreme Council had voted against working with BN in the state polls, adding that the party remained committed to GRS.

PBS was formerly a BN component but left the coalition twice, most recently after the 2018 general election when BN fell from federal power.

Bung, the Kinabatangan MP, said BN had moved on from former allies that had once abandoned the coalition.

“Sabah BN does not pursue alliances with parties that lack a clear political compass or credibility. PBS chose to abandon BN in the past for its own expedient interests. That chapter is closed,” he said.

GRS and PH are currently allies in the Hajiji Noor state government, while BN sits in the opposition in the Sabah legislative assembly.

GRS threatened to go solo in the state polls after the unity government secretariat announced that PH and BN had agreed to an election pact.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as PH chairman, later called for PH-BN to work with the ruling state coalition.

Bung, who previously rejected working with GRS for the polls, recently said Sabah Umno was open to collaborating with the ruling coalition if it approached seat negotiations with sincerity.