KOTA KINABALU : – Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Information Chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai has fired back at Sabah UMNO chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, calling his latest remarks arrogant and disconnected from Sabah’s political reality.
“Bung is the last person who should talk about loyalty or sincerity. He tried to bring down the very government he was part of, just to serve his own ambition. That speaks volumes,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
He dismissed Bung’s claim that GRS had betrayed Barisan Nasional (BN), describing it as a clear attempt to twist the narrative and deflect from his own actions.
“It’s Bung who conspired with Warisan and PKDM in January 2023 to topple the government led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
“He wasn’t betrayed, he was the one doing the betraying. Even while sitting in the state Cabinet, he had no respect for his colleagues in the State government led by Hajiji as Chief Minister.”
Joniston stressed that GRS has never been reliant on UMNO and is fully prepared to face the upcoming state election independently.
As such Bung should stop with his arrogance by insinuating as if GRS is so hard up to work with Umno-BN.
He also pointed out that during the political crisis, several UMNO assemblymen refused to support Bung’s move and instead threw their backing behind Hajiji, alongside PH.
“If anyone needs to reflect, it’s Bung. Why did even your own colleagues abandon your ‘Langkah Kinabalu’? Why did PH support Hajiji, not you? The answer is obvious because the trust wasn’t with you,” he said.
Joniston, who is also PBS information chief, reiterated that his party would never forget the insult hurled by Bung when he once labelled PBS as ‘melukut di tepi gantang’.
“You showed no respect for PBS or your allies, and now you expect cooperation? Don’t be surprised if Sabahans continue to reject Umno just like they did in other states across the Peninsula.
“Sabah isn’t your political lifeline. Don’t treat this state like your fallback plan,” he said, stressing that GRS is now focused on what matters – unity, stability, and delivering for the people.
