THE Gabungan Bersatu proposal is off the table should Sabah Barisan Nasional chairman Musa Aman refuse to dissolve Umno in the state, said Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

“As far as I know, they (Sabah BN) have already agreed,” the Sabah Star president told Malaysia Decides.

“I want that (Gabungan Bersatu) to happen. If not, I have to reverse my decision.

“If they (Sabah BN) don’t do what they say… a new situation requires a new decision.”

BN members are keen on the formation of Gabungan Bersatu, but many believe that Musa will not allow Umno’s “death” in the state.

“The problem facing national parties in Sabah is that all the decision-making requires local leaders to refer to top leaders in the peninsula,” said Kitingan.

The Gabungan Bersatu proposal was part of a deal struck between Musa and Kitingan to hand Sabah to BN in the 14th general election. Under the deal, BN gets two Star seats, namely Bingkor and Tambunan, allowing the coalition to take the state.

BN and the Pakatan Harapan-Parti Warisan Sabah alliance were tied at 29 state seats each, which left Star to play kingmaker.

Gabungan Bersatu, the proposed replacement for BN in the state, would comprise Star and PBS Plus, a new entity that would see Musa, former Umno members, and PBRS and Upko members loyal to BN joining PBS.

Kitingan’s former Gabungan Sabah, comprising SAPP, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah and Parti Perpaduan Rakyat Sabah, would also be part of PBS Plus.

Musa is due to return to Kota Kinabalu today following an Umno meeting in Kuala Lumpur, and is expected to file an injunction claiming that he is the legitimate chief minister at the Kota Kinabalu court tomorrow.

He was sworn in as chief minister a day after the May 9 polls. However, after BN lost the majority due to defections to Warisan, Mohd Shafie Apdal was sworn in as chief minister. – May 17, 2018.