The coalition’s nine component parties — PPBM, Umno, STAR, SAPP, PAS, MCA, MIC, PBRS and PBS — signed a memorandum of understanding last January to strengthen the coalition and ensure political stability following its victory in last year’s Sabah elections.
Analysts contended then that this MOU signalled that Sabah parties wanted to chart their own course as an autonomous political bloc without being influenced by political developments in the peninsula.
Prior to that, Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin had also said his party had no problem with working with the state PPBM, led by chief minister Hajiji Noor.
This was after almost three-quarters of Umno’s 191 divisions in the peninsula told the party leadership that they did not want to cooperate with PPBM in the 15th general election (GE15).
Political observers say this autonomy and particularly the relations between the two main players in GRS – Sabah Umno and PPBM – will now be tested.
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has sent a letter to prime minister and PPBM leader Muhyiddin Yassin saying Umno would not cooperate with PPBM in GE15 and that the party would only work with the government until Parliament is dissolved.
Hajiji, who is GRS chairman, today declined political questions from the press. FMT has also reached out to Bung, who is one of the three GRS deputy chairmen, but so far to no avail.
Political insiders say the leaders are unwilling to speak now as they are playing a wait-and-see game until the situation becomes clearer in the peninsula.
A GRS source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, however, that the coalition would remain intact despite the political goings-on.
The source said Bung had proclaimed on numerous occasions that Sabah Umno had the autonomy to decide its own political future, including deciding on election candidates.
“When you have autonomy, to me it’s very clear – whatever happens on the other side (peninsula), it shouldn’t affect things here in Sabah. That’s how you want to show and prove to the people that Sabah has autonomy.
“It will not affect Sabah because the politics here and in the peninsula are totally different,” the source said.
The GRS insider also said the fact that the GRS MOU was signed by local leaders and not figures from the peninsula spoke volumes about their desire to decide their own fate.
“It was signed by local leaders and that shows we are responding to sentiments on the ground (over autonomy and political stability). We must steer ourselves away from peninsula politics.
“We are bound by the GRS agreement where the parties made their commitment to work together,” the source said.