The proposed merger between Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and Sabah STAR will not take place before the upcoming state election, according to PBS acting president Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam.

Despite both parties agreeing in principle to the unification, Gunsalam said several key issues must first be addressed, particularly concerning their respective constitutions.

“I wish we could do it, but the team that’s supposed to look into the merger has not given their report. We have to take into account the constitution of both parties and what would be the new one. In principle, I am agreeable to the merger,” he was reported in The Star.

His remarks come in response to Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, who suggested that the merger, under the proposed name Parti Bersatu Sabah Tanah Airku (PBSTar), could be finalized before the state election.

For now, PBS and Sabah STAR will continue working together under the Bersatu-Solidarity (BEST) pact, a coalition aimed at strengthening their hold on non-Muslim native seats under Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).

Both parties currently hold 13 state seats, representing the Kadazandusun, Murut, and Rungus communities. 

In the 2020 state election, they collectively won 13 out of 25 non-Muslim native-majority seats under GRS.

Kitingan, who is also Deputy Chief Minister I, previously said the merger process had already begun at the Tambunan division level, with plans to integrate the supreme councils of both parties. 

Under this arrangement, he would serve as the pro tem president until a full unification was completed.

PBS founder and former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan has expressed his support for the merger. However, as things stand, the process will only move forward after the election. – March 19, 2025