“It’s very difficult to work with GRS because the party has already turned its back on us. If you were in my position, would you want to work with them?” said Muhyiddin, who is also Bersatu president.
“I was the one who came up with the name GRS when they first started. Back then, it wasn’t just Bersatu in the coalition – there were other parties too. I named it GRS, but it wasn’t officially registered,” he said at a party event in Sandakan, according to Utusan Malaysia.
Muhyiddin said PN was open to exploring electoral alliances with other parties in preparation for the Sabah polls, and would evaluate every state seat once the Sabah state assembly is dissolved.
GRS was formed as an informal coalition of Sabah parties, including Sabah Bersatu, and formally registered in March 2022. Sabah Bersatu leaders left the party in December 2022, a month after a unity federal government coalition was formed by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim comprising Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Parti Sarawak.
The Sabah coalition had pledged support for Anwar’s unity government but Bersatu was in the opposition in Parliament. Sabah Bersatu chief Hajiji Noor, who was also the chief minister, said the decision to leave the party was unanimous, and was based on the premise that the status quo was no longer tenable.
GRS then dropped Bersatu as a coalition member and Hajiji announced that he would lead the semi-dormant local party Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, which was accepted as a GRS member.
In January, PN deputy chairman Hamzah Zainudin said PN may contest at least 18 of the 73 seats in the Sabah election, which are expected this year. The state assembly’s term expires in November, but may be dissolved sooner.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man confirmed in May that PAS would contest at least six seats under the PN banner.
The unity government secretariat previously announced that PH and BN would join forces for the Sabah polls.
Hajiji then said GRS was prepared to go solo if PH teamed up with BN for the state election.
However, PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim subsequently called for the PH-BN alliance to work with the state coalition.
Talks between the three coalitions are said to be ongoing, but Hajiji has consistently maintained that Sabah-based parties should form the backbone of any alliance and lead the state government.