BEAUFORT: If political cooperation takes place, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) appears more inclined to work with Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sabah in facing the upcoming 17th State Election (PRN17).
The Lumadan Division Chief of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS), Mazlan Joehari Manan, said this is due to the good cooperation between both parties in the current GRS-PH Plus government administration.
According to him, the coalition successfully established political stability, which in turn boosted the development agenda for the people under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) framework, compared to previous collaborations with other parties.
“The possibility (of political cooperation) exists as the current GRS-PH Plus government is able to work well together and has created political stability, thus facilitating all development initiatives.
“This situation is beneficial for the people and for Sabah itself. We want this momentum to continue into the next term as this cooperation aligns with the concept of the Unity Government at the Federal level.
“Therefore, we are more comfortable working with PH for PRN17, but ultimately, it depends on the decision of the top leadership,” he said after officiating the Group Branch Meeting of the PGRS Lumadan Division, here, recently.
He said this when asked about the possibility that GRS might not go solo at the last minute but instead form a collaboration with PH and BN to face PRN17.
Mazlan stated that his side remains committed to supporting any leadership decision, whether to cooperate or go solo in PRN17, as long as GRS remains dominant.
However, the Special Officer to the Chief Minister dismissed the likelihood of GRS having to form a political alliance with BN if it intends to cooperate with PH in PRN17.
He emphasised that aside from the fallout between GRS and BN Sabah following the “Langkah Kinabalu” incident, BN has already declared it wants 40 seats, which complicates any potential cooperation.
“This alone makes it difficult for BN to work with GRS, especially when it comes to negotiating seat distribution, because as I said before, GRS must be dominant if others want to cooperate.
“Unlike BN, PH has never declared how many seats they want so far, which indicates there’s still room for GRS to negotiate with PH.
“If negotiations (with PH) are successful, we will proceed (with the cooperation), but if they fail, GRS is always ready to go solo in PRN17,” he said.
Previously, Sabah Umno Information Chief Datuk Suhaimi Nasir, announced that Umno/BN would contest 40 out of the 73 state legislative assembly (DUN) seats, with the rest allocated to PH in PRN17.
However, this was refuted by PH Sabah, which stated that no formal negotiations or decisions had taken place, aside from informal meetings between both parties that did not address seat distribution.
