No chance working with GRS in upcoming Sabah polls, says Bung

KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Bung Moktar (pic) has dismissed any possibility of Sabah Barisan Nasional-Umno working with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) in the next Sabah elections.

This is despite Barisan deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan saying that the federal Barisan leadership had the final say on whether Sabah Barisan would go it alone or team up with any other party in the next Sabah state election.

The Sabah Barisan chief said they had learned from their past, claiming they had been betrayed on matters such as selection of areas to contest and candidates in the previous 16th state polls.

He further claimed the betrayal extended further during the formation of the Sabah cabinet following the GRS-Barisan triumph in the last election.

“From the beginning, Sabah Barisan-Umno had been fooled,” he said, after a breaking-fast event in the Lahad Datu district on Sunday (March 24).

“(For instance) we had decided to place candidates in seats mutually agreed were for Barisan to contest but they went and put independent candidates and campaigned against Barisan.

“So, such parties do not appear in Barisan’s compass of who to team up with,” Bung added.

During the 2020 Sabah elections, Barisan had worked with Perikatan Nasional under the GRS umbrella, led by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who went on to become Chief Minister, while Parti Warisan had tied up with Pakatan Harapan.

The Barisan-GRS collaboration had managed to topple the then incumbent government led by Warisan.

But in January last year, Bung announced that Sabah Barisan pulled out from the GRS-Barisan state government, claiming GRS had reneged on its pledges to his party.

As such, Bung said Sabah Barisan would be more careful over partners for the 17th Sabah elections, which was due next year, saying they would look at values such as loyalty and honesty.

“We will only work with parties that respect what has been agreed besides an agreement that will bring benefits to Barisan-Umno and Sabah,” said the former deputy chief minister.