KOTA KINABALU. Oct 17 — Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) is standing firm in its decision to stay with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS)/Barisan Nasional (BN) alliance despite internal concerns that it might be overlooked amid seat negotiations between the nine parties in the alliance.
The pressure to leave also comes as rumblings within the party’s supreme council appear to want PBS to consider joining forces with Parti Warisan instead, which has made repeated overtures with the offer of its pick of seats.
Information chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said that despite the concerns raised during a supreme council meeting last week, the party made decisions unanimously and not through majority vote.
“Although there were some members who raised the issue at the meeting last week, there was no vote taken to decide.
“On principle, we make decisions through unanimous resolutions, and not through votes.
“The leadership has decided to stick with its decision to stay with GRS,” he said.
Speculation had indicated that seat negotiations were not going in its favour, with only two to three seats being given to PBS, the state’s oldest party as well as its arguably most prominent KDM-based one.
In 2018, the party contested five seats, and won one — the Kota Marudu seat won by president Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili.
Ongkili recently also said that the party had agreed to go with the relatively new GRS symbol and flag this election, even though its own flag — and identity — were more prominent.
He said that the decision was out of solidarity and unity with GRS.
GRS itself is made up of five parties: Sabah Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), Usno and PBS.
Together with Sabah BN comprising Sabah Umno, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), MCA and MIC, the alliance is struggling to come up with a seat-sharing formula agreeable by all.
Former PBS president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan had questioned why PBS agreed to use the GRS symbol before seat negotiations had been settled.
Kitingan, who is the party’s founder and wields considerable influence amongst the Kadazandusun community, said that the current voter sentiment favoured local parties and it was important to strengthen Sabah’s voice on state rights in Parliament through local party representation.
Pairin also pointed out that Warisan was already in a position to name its candidates while GRS and consequently, PBS had still not indicated how many seats it would be vying for under the coalition.
