The question of whether Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) will head into the state election on its own or maintain its cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH) is expected to be answered latest early July, said GRS secretary-general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.
Masidi said the final decision would likely be made when the GRS supreme council convened for a supreme council meeting which he said will be held early later this month or by early next month.
The GRS Supreme Council leaders comprise the presidents of all eight parties in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition namely, Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), who also serves as GRS chairman, PBS, Sabah Star, SAPP, USNO, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah, LDP and Parti Cinta Sabah.
“We have not made a firm decision. We are yet to hold a meeting of the Supreme Council to decide.
But nevertheless, I think the President has met up with all the presidents of the component parties and I’m sure he also met informally with the leaders of the PH […] Definitely, if it is not this month, early next month,” he told reporters when met in Pitas on Tuesday,
Collectively, these leaders shape the direction and strategy of the Sabah-based coalition.
Although GRS has yet to formally decide on its electoral strategy, Masidi confirmed that GRS chairman and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor had already met leaders of GRS component parties and held informal discussions with Pakatan Harapan leaders.
He hinted that the preference within GRS remains to continue the current PH-GRS collaboration, which was instrumental in forming the unity government in Sabah and Putrajaya.
“If I’m not mistaken, the Chief Minister (GRS Chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor) has emphasised many times that he would like the PH-GRS combination to continue into the next election. The whole idea is about political stability,” he said.
Drawing a comparison with Sarawak, he noted that Sabah’s persistent political instability has long hampered its economic progress.
“Politics per se will not bring benefits unless it is accompanied by economic development. In the few years we had political stability—or a lull in political fights—it has led to achievements beyond what we imagined just a few years ago.”
Masidi did not deny the friction between GRS and Barisan Nasional (BN), particularly Sabah UMNO.
“The UMNO Sabah leadership has said many times they don’t want to work with GRS. Unfortunately, the feeling is mutual. That basically sums up the uneasy truth between the parties,” he said.
While Masidi acknowledged that the CM had previously said GRS might go solo if PH cooperates with BN, he suggested there was still room for flexibility.
“There are many ways to interpret it. You can have many scenarios. You could have an agreement with PH, and perhaps a possibility of friendly fights between GRS and BN,” he said, adding that seat negotiations remain a factor.
Asked if a leadership change in Sabah UMNO could open the door for renewed cooperation, Masidi said: “Politics is a game of making impossible things possible.” – June 10, 2025
