Dr Janathan…GRS-PH collaboration has been proven to be good for Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU : – A Gagasan Rakyat leader has urged all Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) component parties to fully support the GRS-PH (Pakatan Harapan) electoral pact and prepare for the upcoming election.
“I am aware there are differing views on the matter and of late there have been strong sentiments for the coalition to contest the election on its own.
“But let us not disagree with the continued GRS-PH collaboration because it has proven to be good for Sabah,” says Datuk Dr Janathan Kandok.
Dr Janathan who heads the Gagasan Rakyat Tandek division points out that right now, solidarity is a top priority – above individual desires and differences.
He adds that even though the State Assembly has not been dissolved, the focus should be on winning the hearts and minds of the people so that Sabah will remain in safe hands for another five years.
Dr Janathan recalls that Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor who is also GRS chairman had on a number of occasions stressed that this important collaboration will continue and the most recent was at the Gagasan Rakyat annual general assembly on July 27.
“And, in case you have forgotten, let me jog your memory on the “Langkah Kinabalu” – an unsavoury coup to topple Hajiji that failed miserably in 2023.
“Sabah Umno led by its chief Datuk Bung Moktar Radin withdrew from the 27-month old coalition.
“But Hajiji managed to garner the support of 44 Assemblymen – including five from Sabah Umno and seven from PH – to remain in control.
“So, you see, the Chief Minister is grateful to PH and he will never discard those who had his back during trying times,” Dr Janathan says.
Just recently Kunak elected representative Datuk Norazlinah Arif when commenting on the GRS-PH alliance, had said that the Chief Minister prioritised loyalty.
Norazlinah also said the Chief Minister was bound to repay PH for backing his administration in January 2023 after Sabah Umno retracted its support.
Not long after the failed plot, two ministers including Bung Moktar were dropped in a Cabinet reshuffle.
The Chief Minister included two elected representatives from PH (Datuk Christina Liew – Keadilan and Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe – DAP) as well as representatives from GRS and Umno-Barisan.
Last year during a Gagasan Rakyat Sindumin division’s meeting, the Chief Minister had explained that Sabah could not yet follow in Sarawak’s footsteps of forming a coalition with only local parties.
“In politics, we must cooperate with our allies, and that’s how we are in GRS now. We must work as one, including collaborating with national parties in Sabah,” he said.
And, he also said Sabah’s situation differed from Sarawak’s, where the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition is made up of local parties.
Meanwhile Dr Janathan expresses confidence that the Chief Minister will lead GRS to a stunning election victory “and write another chapter of glory in his political career”.
