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KUDAT: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) needs to be open to working with any party that has significant support of the people in Sabah, especially in the run-up to the Sabah state election.

GRS deputy secretary-general Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said that even though GRS is a coalition of local parties, it needs to assess the stand and support of the people of Sabah in making any decisions including parties for cooperation.

Therefore, he said that as long as there is a national party that has the great support of the people in Sabah which can be seen in previous elections, then GRS needs to open space to work together to form political stability.

"Whatever I emphasise here, depends on the agreement and decision of the GRS central leadership," he told reporters after officiating the ‘Consumer Advocacy and Outreach programme here today.

Armizan said the main leader of the central government is the national party, and the core of the state government should be the local party which is one of the three main principles GRS should focus on when evaluating cooperation with other political parties.

"This is important because national parties will tend to look at national narratives and interests, while local parties will give priority to local issues and interests," said Armizan, who is also the Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living.

He said the second principle is that any party that forms the state government must agree to put the rights and interests of Sabah as the core direction and agenda of the state government.

He said the third principle is that cooperation should be built on trust in each other, just like camaraderie in the state government today when Pakatan Harapan came forward to sincerely support GRS to remain at the helm of the state government.

GRS comprises Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (PHRS), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS).