Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah said Fuziah was entitled to do so on behalf of Sabah PKR, which won PH’s only seat in the state election: Melalap.

However, even then, PKR should have considered the views of the other PH components instead of rushing to the media to make the announcement, he said.

“She should have obtained the consensus of all PH component parties before issuing any statement using the coalition’s name,” he told FMT.

Lee noted that Fuziah’s position stood in stark contrast to DAP’s, which had called for deeper self‑reflection by both the party and the coalition.

He cited Loke Siew Fook’s immediate statement following the party’s crushing defeat at the state polls, for which the DAP secretary-general took full responsibility and vowed to identify its weaknesses.

Loke later said the outcome reflected a “serious crisis of confidence” in both DAP and PH, and pledged to work closely with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over the next six months to accelerate reforms.

“DAP wanted to examine the reasons for the unfavourable election results and focus on resolving these issues, rather than rushing to seize the opportunity to be part of the government,” said Lee.

At a press conference held even as the results of the Sabah polls were coming in, Fuziah announced that Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and PH had sufficient numbers to form the new Sabah government.

She said PKR vice-president Amirudin Shari was in talks with GRS chairman Hajiji Noor on forming the state administration.

Earlier this week, Loke criticised Fuziah for her unilateral announcement, describing it as “completely the wrong thing to do”.

He said the formation of the state government should have been announced by GRS, which won the most seats, not PH.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara said Loke’s frustrations were driven by the party’s belief that PH should have no place in the state government, having performed poorly in the state elections.

However, he said the announcement was merely intended to affirm GRS chairman Hajiji Noor’s right to form the new government, while signalling support from PH, which leads the federal government.

He said Barisan Nasional and Sabahan parties including Upko, Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) subsequently followed suit.

“Hajiji needed the support to stabilise the (new) state government, given the small difference in seats between GRS and Warisan,’’ he said.

GRS won 29 seats in the state polls, eight short of a simple majority, while Warisan snagged 25.

PH’s sole assemblyman, Jamawi Jaafar of PKR, was later appointed by Hajiji to the the state’s agriculture, fisheries and food industry portfolio.

The Melalap assemblyman was previously with GRS before being nominated as a PH candidate.