GRS will strengthen Sabah's bargaining power, says SAPP

 

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Vice President, Gee Tien Siong

KOTA KINABALU: The registration of Sabah's first local coalition Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) would place the state in a better position to negotiate and bargain for its rights under the Federation.

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) vice president Gee Tien Siong said that GRS must get the support and cooperation from the people to become a political party with autonomy.

Gee said if people’s mandate were only given to the political parties where every decision needs the nod from their party bosses in peninsula, then it would be as good as giving up autonomy.

"Neither the 'big tent concept' promoted by Pakatan Harapan (PH) nor 'big brother concept' by Barisan Nasional (BN) which won big in Malacca and Johor state elections, can help in regaining Sabah’s autonomy it once had," said Gee.

He said the political forces between Sabah, Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia should be evenly balanced in order to have equal status as enshrined in the MA63.

"One state should not overpower the others so as not to disrupt mutual restraint," he said.

"Sarawak people are aware of this and they supported Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), a coalition of Sarawak local parties that gave Sarawak region a strong voice," he added.

On Friday (March 19), Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor announced the formation of GRS with Sabah Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Sabah Bersatu), Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah STAR and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) in the coalition.

Hajiji, who was Sabah Bersatu chairman, would head the coalition with respective presidents of the parties Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili (PBS) Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (Sabah STAR) and Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee (SAPP) made deputy president.

GRS itself would have 30 assemblymen in the 78 member house and was expected to continue receiving the backing of 22 assemblymen from Sabau Umno, Parti KDM, PAS and three independents.

GRS was a loose coalition of Sabah Barisan Nasional, Sabah Perikatan Nasional and PBS that toppled the Warisan Plus government of Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal in the Sept 2020 snap state elections.

So far, Sabah Barisan led by Umno's Datuk Bung Moktar Radin had shown no indication of wanting to formally join the state coalition though he had often said that Sabah Umno was committed to the people's mandate given to GRS.

The opposition currently holds 26 seats in the assembly.

Source: Thestar