PETALING JAYA: Sabah Umno should not close the door on teaming up with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) in the next state election, despite attempting to overthrow the ruling coalition in January, an analyst said.
Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah said neither should Sabah Umno refuse cooperation with other parties in the state.
Lee said Sabah Umno should not rely on the central party anymore because it was no longer the country’s strongest party.
“Umno is currently second to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) parties in the unity government,” he told FMT.
On Sunday, Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin said the party would consider cooperating with any political party that could help it win the next state election, which is not due for another two years.
Earlier this year, Bung attempted to oust Hajiji Noor from office by announcing that the party was withdrawing its support for the chief minister.
The move, which was also backed by Warisan, Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat, and an independent assemblyman, fizzled out after Hajiji proved that he had the support of the majority of the assemblymen.
Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said he expected Umno Sabah to work with Warisan and even GRS, especially in seats where it did not believe it had a strong chance of winning.
Oh also said the party would most likely find a partner that it could either dominate or work well with, citing Warisan as an example.
He said this was due to “the possibility that Bung regarded Warisan president Shafie Apdal as his senior” as Shafie was previously in Umno and held the position of vice-president before leaving in 2016.
