The ruling, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leaders, claiming to be a local party are collaborating with national coalitions to maintain power, said Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, when accusing them of betraying Sabahans for political convenience.

He also accused the leaders of enriching themselves while Sabahans continue to suffer from water shortages, electricity disruptions and poor infrastructure. 

“These leaders were once from Umno, a national party. They joined Bersatu to win the 2020 election, then left us.

“They now claim to be local while working with Pakatan Harapan. Front-facing, they say they are local. But behind the scenes, they work with national parties,” he said at the Perikatan Nasional Tour in Kota Kinabalu last night.

Hamzah said Hajiji only became chief minister with Bersatu’s support.

“I was the one who determined the chief minister. I helped strategize and form the Sabah government. But now, they want to forget us. We will rise to challenge them. Enough is enough,” he said.

“The people suffer while some get rich. There’s evidence of corruption – proven,” he said, citing viral videos involving political funds for mining licenses.

After leaving Umno in 2018, Hajiji’s group joined Bersatu to be aligned with the then federal and state governments. 

They later contested in the snap Sabah election in 2020 under the Perikatan Nasional brand and the loose coalition GRS and won. They had gone against the Warisan-Plus alliance at the time. 

They again aligned themselves with the federal Madani government by leaving Bersatu and later took over the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah. 

The GRS later branded themselves as an all-local-based party coalition. 

They later became embroiled in corruption scandals exposed by a “whistleblowers”.  

Towards this end, Hamzah said Sabahans reject such opportunistic leaders who make promises but fail to deliver.

“The current leadership has lost its way. They make promises but don’t know how to govern. Our struggle is for Sabah’s future – to lift this resource-rich state and ensure its wealth benefits its people.”

Meanwhile, Sabah Bersatu chief Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee dismissed claims that the party is a spent force after most of its members defected to Gagasan Rakyat.

“They claimed we only had one remaining MP. But today, it’s proven otherwise.

“Twenty-three Bersatu division leaders have rallied us in a short period. We have restructured Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional.

“We will continue our tours and outreach,” Ronald said. – January 16, 2025.