• Hajiji pushes GRS Plus to dominate Sabah polls while PH quietly sidesteps junior‑partner status
• PBS and Jeffrey back Hajiji’s big‑brother plan; Pandikar softens, but full consensus remains elusive
• Anwar did not respond to GRS Plus question, highlighting fragile love triangle ahead of a high‑stakes election

In Sabah politics, particularly within the ruling political groups, love is never simple. It’s complicated, loud, and always comes with a fight over who gets the bigger bedroom.

The 17th state election is shaping up as what locals now call “the love triangle”  a messy three‑way entanglement between Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Pakatan Harapan (PH), and Barisan Nasional (BN).

Note, PH is now separately forming pacts with GRS and BN. 

GRS chairman Hajiji Noor is trying to turn that triangle into a tidy household under his “GRS Plus” formula. Translation? GRS is the big brother, PH is the polite houseguest, while BN is in a separate relationship with PH. 

Hajiji wants over 50 of 73 seats for GRS. He’s not hiding it: dominance is the plan. PBS is nodding along. Jeffrey Kitingan likes the Plus idea but keeps his solo option ready, just in case.

Hajiji told reporters officially the pact with the PH during the Gagasan annual general meeting two weekends ago. But within the halls of the party, the chief minister also asserted of the GRS Plus plan, with GRS being the dominant political power with the election pact with PH. 

Meanwhile, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, the USNO president and Sabah’s political weather vane, has eased off his old “go it alone” tone. He now says GRS can play leader, as long as it gets its 50‑seat comfort zone.

And then there’s Anwar Ibrahim, smiling like the polite guest at a wedding he didn’t plan. 

After meeting Sabah PKR leaders on Sunday, Anwar did not address the GRS Plus question entirely, talking only about the need to avoid three‑cornered fights.

That silence says plenty. PH hasn’t openly agreed to playing the junior partner, even as it negotiates quietly to avoid a public clash.

For now, the love triangle holds — more like a marriage of convenience than a honeymoon. But Sabah politics has a habit of turning “I do” into “I did, but not anymore” overnight.

When ballots drop, only one question will matter: does GRS get to keep the master bedroom, or will someone else grab the keys? – August 4, 2025