PETALING JAYA: Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu has dismissed speculation about the party’s future in Sabah following the announcement by its leaders in the state that they have quit Bersatu.
He said Bersatu will continue to have a presence in the state with members who have decided not to leave with the leaders.
Earlier today, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman and Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor said that he and other Sabah Bersatu leaders would leave the party. He added that they would form a new local party.
“The party’s management will immediately rebuild a structure at all levels (in Sabah) in order to strengthen the party,” Faizal said.
“We are confident that with the people’s support for Bersatu nationwide, including in Sabah, Bersatu will remain in Sabah and rise from the current situation.”
He added that while he was disappointed with the move taken by Hajiji and other leaders to quit Bersatu, he respected their decision.
While GRS has pledged its support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government at the federal level, Bersatu is in the opposition as part of Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Meanwhile, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi lauded the latest development in Sabah, calling it the “right decision”.
“It was a hard decision to make but it was done for the future of the state and the interests of its people,” he said in a Facebook post.
Earlier, Hajiji said the “unanimous decision” by Sabah Bersatu leaders to leave the party is based on the premise that the status quo is “no longer tenable”.
He added that all former Sabah Bersatu leaders, including elected representatives, would continue to support the unity government led by Anwar, under the new local party that is to be established.
