KOTA KINABALU, Oct 25 — Any pact between Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and opposition parties in the state is meaningless without the participation of Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), says Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president, Datuk Yong Teck Lee.
Yong, who is also the Perikatan Nasional deputy chairman, said although there were talks between GRS and Pakatan Harapan (PH) here, the PKR and DAP leaders in Sabah had no say and had to be led by DAP secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng.
“In Sabah, the fact is that the main opposition party is Warisan which is not part of PH, and only United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) is a Sabah local party in the PH coalition.
“Hence, any talk of a cooperation agreement with the opposition parties in Sabah should realistically involve Warisan. Whether Warisan wants to be involved or not is a different matter to be addressed when it is time to cross the bridge.
“Furthermore, any cooperation agreement between GRS and the opposition parties must uphold the rule of law. The cooperation pact must not be tainted by any hint of ‘out of court settlement’ of ongoing court cases or other litigation before any court of law,” said Yong, who is also a GRS committee member, in a statement today.
Yesterday, GRS chairman Datuk Hajiji Noor, who is also Sabah Chief Minister, said the coalition would hold a discussion over a proposal from Sabah PH to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU), and Guan Eng had raised the issue when the latter met him recently.
GRS comprises parties from Perikatan Nasional (Bersatu, STAR, SAPP, PAS and Gerakan), Barisan Nasional (UMNO, MCA, MIC, PBRS) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS). — Bernama
