KUCHING, Dec 10: Sabah Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) leaders have unanimously decided to leave the party to form a new local party but continue to be under Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
Initially, the GRS coalition comprised Sabah Bersatu, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), and United Sabah National Organisation (USNO).
GRS chairman and Sabah Bersatu chief Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the decision was based on the premise that the situation was no longer tenable to remain in the status quo.
“This is because, at the federal level, Bersatu is in the Opposition while GRS has pledged support to the unity government led by Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” he said in a statement today.
He also said the unanimous decision was in the interest of Sabah for the sake of unity and fulfilling the people’s wish and aspiration to keep fighting under the auspices of a local party.
“With this decision, we would now use GRS to voice out the interests of Sabah and that of Borneon States in Malaysia.
“Moving forward, we will form a new local party, but for the time being, we will collectively be members of GRS,” he added.
Hajiji further said that it is the commitment of the Sabah leaders together with Sarawak as Borneo Bloc to voice out the people’s aspirations and to see that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) would be fully implemented.
He also thanked Bersatu president and Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for his leadership during their tenure as Bersatu members.
GRS won six out of 25 parliamentary seats in the last 15th General Election (GE15) in Sabah. — DayakDaily
