GRS warns of free-for-all in stare election

KIULU (May 21): Disagreement over the allocation of seats among parties intending to form alliances would likely lead to a free-for-all in the coming State election, said Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) information chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.

With such a possibility, Joniston said GRS must be prepared to face any eventuality, including going solo as stated by the Chief Minister and GRS chairman, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

Hajiji had said that GRS is ready to go it alone after Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) signed a declaration agreeing to work together in the Sabah election which many described as a deliberate snub to GRS.

The Kiulu assemblyman said a free-for-all could be a blessing in disguise, as such a scenario would allow Sabahans to choose between a coalition of local parties and peninsular-based-led parties.

He was speaking at a meet-the-people session in Kg Tibabar here after officiating the upgraded Poturidong-Tibabar road.

“Sabahans could well treat the upcoming state election as a referendum to choose between local-based GRS, Umno-led Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan, and Parti Warisan plus,” said Joniston, who is also Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) information chief.

“This will be a clear test of whether we want to be led by leaders from locally based parties or by those who answer to parties headquartered in Kuala Lumpur.”

He said that GRS has demonstrated that local-based coalitions are capable of delivering meaningful development while working closely with the federal government.

Citing an example, Joniston reiterated that although the local-based GRS leads the State government, it enjoys a cordial working relationship with Putrajaya under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Joniston also said that the annual federal special grant has been increased from RM53 million when Warisan was in power to RM600 million under GRS.

Another example is the signing of the Commercial Collaboration Agreement (CCA) between the GRS-led State government and Petronas, which brought tangible benefits for Sabah and shored up the State’s revenue.

As a result of good governance and a focused development plan and strategy under the Sabah Maju Jaya initiative coupled with the good ties with Putrajaya, State annual revenue has increased to RM6.9 billion and State reserve close to RM8 billion.

“We are not anti-federal, but we believe Sabah must lead itself, with leaders not bound by outside instructions.

“GRS is proof that Sabah can work maturely with Putrajaya, and still prioritise the people of Sabah above all,” he added.

Joniston also touched on past political manoeuvres involving Umno-BN, Warisan and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), describing their combined attempt to topple the Chief Minister in January 2023 as politically ill-intended and damaging.

“It was never about leadership, it was about control and self-interest.”

Joniston urged voters to reflect on the January 2023 attempted power-grab and choose stability over political gamesmanship.

“We’ve seen the damage caused by reckless power plays. Sabah needs steady hands and sincere leadership. This election is our opportunity to move forward, and not backwards,” he said.