The use of the unity government secretariat letterhead to officially declare the cooperation between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) was inappropriate, said Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Secretary General, Datuk Armizan Ali. 

He said the action by Secretariat Chief Datuk Wira Dr. Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, who is also Umno Secretary-General, and PH Secretary-General Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, had caused unnecessary political polemics in Sabah. 

This includes the reaction from GRS Chairman Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor, he said. 

According to Armizan, the situation forced Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to clarify the announcement when asked during a press conference in Tawau. 

The issue has since caught the attention of the media and the people of Sabah.

“Asyraf and Saifuddin should have been more careful in their actions. 

“They are free to issue official statements on behalf of their respective coalitions, but the official letterhead of the Unity Government Secretariat should only be used if the statement represents the consensus of all coalition parties,” he said on Friday night. 

On May 9, 2025, Saifuddin and Asyraf announced the BN-PH cooperation for the Sabah state election. 

The announcement had used the Unity Government Secretariat letterhead and also displayed the logo of both alliances that make up the Unity Government. 

Armizan also questioned whether the Secretariat had the authority to issue such official statements without referring to the Unity Government Leadership Consultative Council Meeting.

“Will the Unity Government Secretariat also issue similar statements regarding the Sarawak state election in the future?” he asked.

He expressed hope that Unity Government Leadership Consultative Council Secretary-General Fadillah Yusof would address this matter to prevent such incidents from recurring.

“The decision to form political cooperation is the right of every party, but do not use the Unity Government platform to announce a collaboration that involves only two parties.”

“We also need to recognise the unique political landscape of states such as Sabah, Sarawak, Melaka, and Johor, which will face state elections.”

“If stability is the goal, we must respect one another.”

“Some may see GRS as a small vessel, but with God’s will, this small vessel carries enough to reach its destination,” he said. – May 16, 2025