Few figures in Sabah politics stir the pot quite like Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.
Once the powerful Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Pandikar is now president of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) — a party with no legislative seats, but one he insists still carries the original DNA of Sabah’s founding struggle.
Despite USNO being part of the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, Pandikar has in recent months become its most visible internal critic.
He has questioned decisions made by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, accused key players of sidelining USNO, and warned that Sabah is once again at risk of becoming a mere extension of federal politics.
Lately, some junior GRS leaders have gone so far as to call for USNO’s expulsion. The only major figure who came to his defence was former Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee — a sign, Pandikar believes, of how politically shallow GRS has become.
In this exclusive and at times philosophical interview with The Vibes, Pandikar opens up about the legacy of Barisan Nasional, his discontent with the new ruling order, and his plan to reshape Sabah’s future — even if it means going it alone.
The Vibes: Was there a particular moment when you started to feel sidelined in GRS?
Pandikar Amin:
Yes. During the launch of the GRS Jelajah in Keningau. (The Jelajah GRS Zon 6 was held on January, 23, 2025).
As usual before any GRS Road Show, the Presidents of all the party components of GRS will be invited and given time to address the crowd.
About three days before the event, I received a WhatsApp message from someone I believed to be a member of the organising committee. I was informed that I would be allocated five minutes to address the crowd — but with a caveat: I was not to speak about seat negotiations with West Malaysia-based parties, nor say anything that could offend Federal Government leaders.
That night, I decided not to attend. I felt there was little point in showing up to a political event under what amounted to a gag order.
But around 9pm, I received a call from Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan. He personally requested my presence and assured me that no such directive had come from him.
Even so, on the day of the event, as I waited for the programme to begin, I remained unsure whether I would say anything at all.
It was then that the truth hit me: USNO was being used as a prop. We were given no meaningful role, no platform, not even the courtesy of proper acknowledgment. I sat there asking myself, “Why am I here, if I’m not seen as the leader of a party with a voice worth hearing?”
So when the emcee finally called on me to speak, I rose and walked toward the rostrum. And as I did, I made up my mind: I would speak, and I would say what I believed needed to be said.
From that day, it became clearer to me that decisions were already being made by an inner circle. And USNO — the party that once carried Sabah’s founding mandate — was now being excluded from the table. That’s when I began speaking out.
(NOTE: It was at this event, Pandikar expressed his concerns on USNO’s marginalisation within the coalition, citing his party was not given a significant role or proper acknowledgements, leading him to question USNO’s position within GRS.
The moment marked the beginning of his public dissent regarding GRS’s internal dynamics and treatment of USNO)
The Vibes: Tan Sri, you’ve been unusually vocal lately. Many see you as a disruptor within GRS. What’s going on?
Pandikar Amin:
Let’s be honest — apart from the government posts granted to me by the Chief Minister, my role as one of the Deputy Chairmen of GRS is purely symbolic. It carries no defined duties or responsibilities.
From the start, USNO has been treated as ornamental — simply because we don’t hold any seats in the State Assembly.
Some GRS leaders view our presence as unnecessary or even burdensome. As a result, we’re left out of serious discussions on government policy.
In fact, GRS Supreme Council meetings rarely touch on government policies. I believe they should. Decisions are made solely in Cabinet, yet not all GRS leaders are part of the Cabinet.
I’m of the opinion that major policy decisions should be deliberated at the GRS Supreme Council level, so that non-Cabinet leaders — many of whom are experienced — have the chance to contribute their views.
Let’s not forget: some Supreme Council members have served as ministers, both at the state and federal levels. One of the GRS Deputy Chairmen, Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, was a former Chief Minister.
Yet for reasons best known to the Chief Minister and his inner circle, these decisions are made without us.
What frustrates me is that I often find myself having to defend government decisions I fundamentally disagree with — simply because I’m seen as a GRS government leader.
Worse, I’ve been told what to do by junior civil servants or political greenhorns — just because they’re close to the Chief Minister. That, to me, is insulting.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not trying to boast. But let’s be fair. At least show some respect to those of us who’ve been around and who have experience in politics and governance.
I’ve been in coalition politics long before some of these individuals even entered the political arena. When I led AKAR, I was part of Barisan Nasional’s top leadership. I was a Vice President of BN, sitting at the same table with towering figures like Mahathir Mohamad (UMNO), Samy Vellu (MIC), Lim Keng Yaik (Gerakan), Ling Liong Sik (MCA), Leo Moggie (PBDS), and Taib Mahmud (PBB).
These were political giants. And even though I was a young leader from a small Sabah party, they treated me with respect and as an equal.
Now in GRS? It’s all gatekeeping and whisper campaigns.
The Vibes: Why not just leave GRS then, if the treatment is that poor?
Pandikar Amin:
I can’t leave GRS just like that. I love GRS. I love the idea behind the formation of GRS..Rumah Kita, Kita Jaga. Sabah di dahulukan. I still believe in the original idea of GRS — a Sabah-led coalition that puts Sabah first. That was why I agreed to lead USNO.
Lately, I feel dissapointed with GRS political posturing.
GRS today has drifted from its original hala tuju. It’s no longer rooted in that spirit of “Rumah Kita, Kita Jaga”.
The reason for my political posturing lately is, I want to be part of correcting that drift — not walking away from it. And more importantly, I won’t be chased off by a few young upstart politicians throwing tantrums on social media. I report to the president, not the backbenchers.
The Vibes: Are you suggesting USNO will go into the Sabah election under its own banner?
Pandikar Amin:
In all sincerity, let it be known to the public that USNO never demanded any seat officially or unofficially from the leadership of GRS.
Officially, GRS Supreme Council never meets to discuss seats allocation amongst the component parties.
What is widely discussed openly in public is the stand of USNO for GRS to contest the 73 seats in PRN17. Even that USNO is only amplifying the voice of the President of Star, Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
However, USNO’s stand on this matter is openly opposed by some leaders in GRS. I don’t have any problem with that opinion. That is what democracy is all about…to discuss!
What I am not happy about is the negative attitudes and perceptions of some of GRS leaders directed at USNO when USNO decided to do a political survey through our political Roadshow which started in the month of February in DUN Sekong, a stronghold of Warisan.
The reason for the political roadshow is to gauge the public acceptance of USNO leader as a candidate if GRS were to give USNO the honour to hoist the GRS flag as candidate in any constituency that GRS sees fit.
In all the places that USNO did a political Road Show, we were received well. Thousands of the local voters attended our political ceramah.
I think there are some GRS local leaders who saw USNO’s sincere effort in helping to strengthen GRS as a threat to their leadership in the constituencies concerned and fears that USNO grassroot leaders in the same constituency may be picked as candidate in PRN17 instead of him or her.
It never crossed my mind that I would lobby for seats for USNO in PRN17 if USNO were unfit as a component or a political parasite or political pariah in GRS.
However, the USNO political Roadshow success changed all those inferior feelings. I see now, USNO is as strong as Warisan and accepted by the voters that reside in coastal areas and islands around Sabah.
If GRS treats us as a political asset and gives us the due respect that we deserve, we remain. If not, USNO is prepared to stand on its own. What matters isn’t the logo — it’s whether Sabah’s voice is truly at the centre of the agenda.
The Vibes: You often refer to the Barisan Nasional era. What do you miss about it?
Pandikar Amin:
Structure. Discipline. Respect. We had clear quotas — not just for seats, but for projects, jobs in government departments and jobs in the grass root level such as positions of Imam and village chiefs. Every component party knew not only their place, but also their value in BN.
There was a committee that met weeks before the official birthday of the TYT to decide on the Datukship and other medals to be awarded based on merits.
Datuk-ships and other medals of honour were not simply given or awarded. Issues were debated, and decisions were made collectively.
That was how harmony was kept. Even when AKAR didn’t win many seats, we were consulted. There was no such thing as a unilateral decision.
That kind of coalition culture has vanished. GRS today is more of a brand than a functioning alliance. A few people make the decisions, and the rest are expected to clap. That’s not a coalition. That’s a monopoly.
The Vibes: When did things start to break down?
Pandikar Amin:
The turning point was 2018. When BN collapsed, it wasn’t just a government that fell — it was a political culture.
Then in 2020 (Sabah election), just a swing of 200 to 300 votes in some seats — and whole parties were wiped out. That tells you how fragile political loyalties are now in Sabah.
People want performance. They want leaders on the ground, not posters and billboards.
The Vibes: You’ve also suggested that the GRS government was built on shaky ground. What did you mean by that?
Pandikar Amin:
Let’s be clear — GRS wasn’t a real coalition at the start. It was just a name. No logo. No manifesto. No common soul.
The only reason it survived (until now) was because of Warisan defectors and UMNO leaders who defied their party. It was a patchwork of expediency.
And Langkah Kinabalu in 2023? That just confirmed everything I’d been saying. If a few people switching sides can shake the entire government, that’s not strength — that’s fragility dressed up as stability.
Let’s look at the numbers from the 2020 Sabah state election. Barisan Nasional (BN) secured 14 seats, while Bersatu, under Perikatan Nasional (PN), won 11.
Despite BN having more seats, Hajiji Noor from Bersatu was appointed Chief Minister. This was possible because PN, including STAR with 6 seats and PBS with 7, collectively supported him.
However, it’s important to note that PN wasn’t contesting under a single, unified banner during that election.
The coalition was more of an ad hoc arrangement, lacking a cohesive identity. This patchwork alliance, formed primarily to unseat Warisan, lacked a solid foundation.
On the other side, Warisan won 23 seats, DAP secured 6, PKR had 2, and UPKO obtained 1 seat.
Despite this, the GRS (BN and PBS) coalition managed to form the government, but the underlying tensions and lack of a unified vision made the administration fragile from the start.
This scenario underscores my point: the formation of the GRS-led government was troubled from day one due to its fragmented nature and the absence of a clear, collective mandate.
The Vibes: What happened with USNO’s role in GRS?
Pandikar Amin:
Originally, Hajiji wanted to take over and lead USNO — revive the party, make it the symbol of a Sabah-first platform. But that idea did not come about as according to my sources, Hajiji cannot persuade the majority of leaders that supported him to leave Bersatu to be with him in USNO for reasons best known to them.
Instead Hajiji and his group took over, rebrand and lead Parti Gagasan Rakyat.
(Hajiji became president of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah in January 29, 2023).
The Vibes: One of your biggest concerns is Sabah’s political dependence on the federal government. Why is this a problem?
Pandikar Amin:
Because every time KL sneezes, Sabah catches the flu. A government in Putrajaya changes — and the whole state starts scrambling. That’s not autonomy. That’s bondage.
Look at what happened in 2020. The Warisan-led government in Sabah collapsed not because of a state election defeat — but because of what happened in KL after the Sheraton Move.
Once Bersatu and UMNO aligned at the federal level, the dominoes fell here too. Langkah Kinabalu didn’t start in Kota Kinabalu — it started in Putrajaya.
A Sabah government must be built on Sabah ground — not federal leftovers. Otherwise, every federal crisis will become ours too.
The Vibes: But GRS claims to be a Sabah-based coalition. Doesn’t that give it independence?
Pandikar Amin:
Only in theory. In practice, it still operates under the shadow of KL.
Hajiji still hasn’t decided whether to go solo or tie GRS to PH or BN. He needs clarity. And clarity can only come if all GRS presidents unanimously say: contest all 73 seats on our own. That’s the real test.
The Vibes: If GRS doesn’t do that, what happens?
Pandikar Amin:
If GRS becomes just another tool for national coalitions, USNO will chart its own course. Simple as that.
The Vibes: Let’s talk about your own goals. If not for a position, what drives you?
Pandikar Amin:
Legacy. I’ve done it all — Parliament Speaker, minister, party president. I don’t need a new post.
I want to train leaders who don’t need to bow to Putrajaya for approval. People who don’t grow up thinking (PKR) Akmal Nasurulah or Syed Saddiq as their boss. I don’t want Sabah’s future to be decided by party youth wings from Malaya.
The Vibes: You’ve floated a concept called the “New Deal” for Sabah?
Pandikar Amin:
Yes — and it’s not a slogan. It’s rooted in the law.
Article 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution guarantee Sabah 40% of net revenue collected from the state. That’s not rhetoric. That’s our right.
The “New Deal” is about putting Sabah back in control — economically, politically, and psychologically.
The Vibes: You’ve been critical of economic policies too. What do you mean?
Pandikar Amin:
They say Sabah’s revenue is RM7 billion. But people still carry buckets to collect water. If the government has RM7 billion but villagers are still boiling river water, what does that tell you? Where’s the impact? Development should be felt — not just printed on budget papers.
The Vibes: Some people dismiss USNO as a relic. How do you respond?
Pandikar Amin:
And yet they keep attacking me. If I’m irrelevant, why are they so bothered? I’m not campaigning for power. I’m campaigning for respect — for Sabah, from Sabah.
USNO’s voice may be old, but its message is fresh. We are the voice that reminds KL: Sabah deserves more than just promises. – May 4, 2025
