PUTATAN: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is banking on its proven track record of governing Sabah since 2020 to win over voters in the coming 17th State Election (PRN17).
GRS Deputy Secretary-General Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the coalition’s performance record is the foundation for providing services to the people and as a guideline for voters in making decisions during elections.
He said GRS had been striving to do its best throughout its administration, which still has about a year left before the current State Legislative Assembly’s term ends.
“We are focusing on this because, for us, what is most important when engaging with the people is our track record.
“That is our strength. It should be the basis for any political platform that wants to offer services to the people because all political parties in Sabah, including GRS, have at some point received the mandate to lead the state government.
“So I am confident that with GRS’s track record, and with about a year left for us to refine and boost our efforts, particularly through the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development plan, we will be able to achieve even more,” he said.
Armizan, who is also Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, said this to reporters after officiating the annual general meeting of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) Petagas Division here, recently.
Also present were Deputy Chief Minister III cum Works Minister Datuk Ir. Shahelmey Yahya who is also Putatan Member of Parliament, Petagas Assemblyman Datuk Awang Ahmad Sah bin Awang Sahari, Gagasan Rakyat Petagas Division Chief, Mohd Isquzawan Israq Arsit and the delegates.
Armizan said it is vital to focus on the importance of effective communication with the public to highlight GRS’s achievements.
“We need to explain about GRS’s track record and performances, which we want to present to the people, and we need to show them why they should continue to have confidence in GRS to lead the State Government, alongside our partners, including Pakatan Harapan (PH), which is currently part of the State Government,” he said.
He said the focus right now is on resolving the people’s issues and advancing the SMJ agenda planned by the State Government.
On seat allocations, he said GRS had yet to start discussions on the matter among its component parties and coalition partners.
“Each party had its seats before, and there may be some seats that require negotiations, but for me, at this stage, it is not about the seats.
“The issue is how we can convince the people and ensure that the mandate previously given to us is fulfilled as best as possible because Sabah still faces various issues like water, electricity and road infrastructure that need to be resolved.
“Alhamdulillah, we already have efforts, strategies, and approaches in place through the Sabah Energy Commission (ECoS) and the Sabah State Water Department (JANS), which were announced earlier,” Armizan said.
He said the most important is that development projects to address these (basic amenities) issues are already in progress and are not merely plans on paper, with some expected to be completed this year or next year.
“Some (projects) may take two to three years, but the funding is already available, and we are optimistic about bringing meaningful and valuable changes to the people of Sabah,” he said.
