Ex-Bersatu leaders to take over dormant Sabah party, says report


GRS secretary-general Masidi Manjun says a decision will be announced soon on whether former Bersatu leaders will take over Sabah-based party PGRS. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, December 11, 2022.

FORMER Sabah Bersatu leaders and the party’s elected representatives are planning to join Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS), The Star reported today.

Quoting sources, the report said Chief Minister Hajiji Noor and his deputy Masidi Manjun were in discussions with PGRS, which is led by Steven Jimbangan.

The report said the party has been dormant since the 2020 Sabah snap elections and primed for a takeover.

Masidi, who is the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) secretary-general, declined to comment on the takeover but told the newspaper a decision will be made “very, very fast”.

Yesterday Hajiji announced that the Bersatu leaders in GRS had unanimously decided to quit the Muhyiddin Yassin-led party after considering the current political landscape, especially in Sabah.

He said GRS-Barisan Nasional (GRS-BN) has also taken the advice of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to form unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for political stability and economic recovery.

“This unanimous decision is in the interest of Sabah, for the unity and aspirations of the people for us to continue fighting under the auspices of a local party.

“We will use GRS to voice the interests of Sabah and the states of Borneo in Malaysia.

“We believe this is the best decision for unity and political stability in Sabah,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The four GRS MPs in Bersatu are Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Matbali Musah (Sipitang), Armizan Mohd Ali (Papar) and Jonathan Yassin (Ranau).

The 14 Bersatu Sabah assemblymen are Hajiji (Sulaman), Masidi (Karanaan), Isnin Aliasnih (Klias), Fairuz Renddan (Pintasan), Ghulam Haidar Khan Bahadar (Kawang), Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif (Membakut), Rubin Balang (Kemabong), Samad Jambri (Labuk), Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan (Apas), Hassan A Gani Pg Amir (Sebatik), Ruddy Awah (Pitas), Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin (Nabawan) and nominated assemblymen  Amisah Yassin and Jaafari Walliam.

The Sabah assembly has not adopted the anti-party hopping law, which means its members are free to switch parties. Bersatu MPs, who stood on a GRS ticket, could be subjected to the law.

GRS was registered as a coalition earlier this year with Bersatu, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah STAR, SAPP and Usno as its components. – December 11, 2022.


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Comments


  • Real friends don't abandon his friends but that is in real life and if the friend is a friend indeed with his principals values are intact. In politics however if totally different and this is another classic example of it. Says under whatever notion there is but the bottom line remains you abandon ship and the moral of it is in question, timing, why didn't you switch camps and or made your move prior to the election, why after the election? Politicians what can we really expect from them???

    Posted 3 years ago by Teruna Kelana · Reply