Masidi said the GRS presidential council meeting on Wednesday night, which went on for nearly two hours, was cordial, quipping that others would be surprised at how it went.

“We were talking like friends. We are still friends and continue to be friends,” he said, according to The Borneo Post.

He called for all parties to cool down for now, saying better decisions are made with a calm and collected mind.

“I know elections are important, but to me, you make better decisions when you are level-headed … You may not agree with each other, but that doesn’t mean you have to become enemies,” he said.

STAR and SAPP left GRS after the Wednesday meeting, as they insisted that GRS should go solo in the state election rather than continue its pact with Pakatan Harapan.

GRS chairman Hajiji Noor’s stand was that all component parties should respect the alliance agreed with PH. He also wanted them to contest under the coalition’s banner.

Separately, Masidi believes that the state budget should only be tabled after the polls are held and the new state government is formed.

“(It should be tabled) by whoever wins the election,” the Sabah finance minister said.