GRS flexes muscle in Sabah polls despite initial hurdles

The Sabah coalition retained key constituencies with convincing majorities as it went on to form the state government with the support of other parties and independent assemblymen.

GRS chairman Hajiji Noor was sworn in as Sabah chief minister in the early hours of Sunday morning.  (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) flexed its muscles in the 17th Sabah state election yesterday, retaining key constituencies with convincing majorities.

Hajiji Noor’s coalition had to overcome several initial hurdles prior to the state polls, particularly Jeffrey Kitingan leading Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) out of GRS and allegations involving the Sabah mining scandal.

Warisan’s emergence as a possible contender and clashes with Barisan Nasional had also threatened the local coalition’s hold on multiple seats.

This was also GRS’s first state election as an official coalition, as it took part in the 2020 polls as an informal alliance which included Sabah Umno and Sabah Bersatu.

Hajiji had led an exodus of Sabah Bersatu leaders after the 2022 general election as they backed the unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Hajiji, the GRS chairman, was comfortably elected to a ninth term as Sulaman assemblyman, fending off four other challengers from Warisan, BN, Perikatan Nasional and Parti Impian Sabah.

Other key leaders like Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah deputy president Masidi Manjun (Karanaan), Rubin Balang (Kemabong), Masiung Banah (Kuamut) and Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan (Apas) also retained their seats for another term.

More crucially, GRS emerged victorious in key battlegrounds like Tanjung Keramat, Tempasuk, Pantai Dalit, Sugut and Banggi — all of which were traditional seats for either BN or Warisan previously.

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) also put up a strong performance, with party president Dr Joachim Gunsalam reelected in Kundasang, alongside its information chief Joniston Bangkuai (Kiulu) and vice-presidents Hendrus Anding (Tandek) and Ruslan Muharam (Lumadan).

PBS secretary-general Julita Majungki also notched a crucial victory as she defended her Matunggong seat against the highly-rated Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat deputy president Wetrom Bahanda.

Parti Cinta Sabah president Anifah Aman however lost in Bongawan yet again, with Warisan’s Daud Yusof defeating the former foreign minister.

Anifah had also lost to Daud in 2020.

Usno president Pandikar Amin Mulia and wife, Diana Diego @ Yusrina Sufiana, lost their respective contests in Pintasan and Sekong, following backlash over their candidacies.

GRS however has the backing of independent Pintasan assemblyman Fairuz Renddan, who was previously Gagasan Rakyat Youth chief before he contested on his own to defend the seat.

Similarly, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah lost the Kukusan seat to its former assemblyman, Rina Jainal, who won independently and has backed Hajiji as chief minister.

In 2020, GRS won 18 seats through Sabah Bersatu (prior to the assemblymen’s exit from the party) and PBS, with 11 and seven assemblymen, respectively.

The coalition later gained more seats through a series of defections, with Gagasan Rakyat having a total of 26 assemblymen prior to the state assembly’s dissolution last month. - FMT