No need to sign MOU with GRS at state level, says Warisan

 

Warisan Sabah has questioned Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Yong Teck Lee’s recent call to include Warisan in signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Sabah’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government and opposition parties in the state.

Its information chief Awang Ahmad Sah Sahari said while he generally agrees with what Yong said, it is unnecessary for parties in Sabah to emulate the MOU signed between Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob’s government and Pakatan Harapan on the federal level.

This comes after Yong, who is Perikatan Nasional (PN) deputy chairperson, said on Monday that there were talks between GRS and Harapan in Sabah to formulate an MOU similar to that at the federal level.

However, he added that any pact between GRS and opposition parties in Sabah would be meaningless without Warisan.

“What’s peculiar is why Harapan thinks there is a need for bipartisan cooperation with the GRS government even though the issue has been resolved through the MOU with the federal government.

“Moreover, Umno, Bersatu, and PAS are among GRS members who are forced to abide by their leaders' desire on the federal level,” Awang (above) said in a statement today.

Complicated relationship

He points out that no other state has signed a similar MOU with Harapan, saying that politics in Sabah is different from the peninsula and so are the problems and issues that are affecting the people there.

“Hence, Sabah political leaders should act to give more priority to the interest of Sabahans without following too much of peninsular politicians’ desire,” he said.

The relationship between Harapan and Warisan is a complicated one as the two former coalition partners during the previous Harapan-led federal administration have seen moments of tension despite still working together as a united opposition force in both Parliament and the Sabah state legislative assembly.

Conflict arose when PKR, a component party of Harapan, refused to use Warisan’s logo in last year’s Sabah state election.

Frustrations from the party towards Harapan grew stronger afterward, and seemingly reached a boiling point when Warisan MPs were absent during a bloc vote on Budget 2021 in Parliament last year.

Warisan president Shafie Apdal also previously chided Harapan for not consulting the party during the inking of the MOU between the federal government and Harapan.

Warisan, a party mainly focused on Sabahan issues, has also refused to join Harapan as a component party; instead, it opted to work on establishing its own coalition and spreading its influence to the peninsula. - Mkini