Masiung rejects PM's proposal for GRS-BN-PH alliance
TONGOD (Aug 4): Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) vice president Datuk Masiung Banah has rejected Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's proposal for Barisan Nasional (BN) to form a tripartite alliance with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) ahead of the 17th State Election.
'Such an understanding is unlikely to materialize as it would confuse voters. Moreover, GRS and PH have already agreed to continue their political cooperation,' Masiung said in response to the Prime Minister's suggestion made yesterday.
He added that if a three-party alliance were to take shape, Gagasan Rakyat would stand by Anwar's earlier statement made in Tawau on May 11, where the Prime Minister expressed support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor to lead the seat negotiation process.
During a special meeting with Sabah Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leaders in Kota Kinabalu yesterday, Anwar had expressed his intention to mediate negotiations between GRS, BN and PH to avoid three-cornered contests in the upcoming state election.
However, Masiung firmly dismissed the idea, describing it as a political 'love triangle' that Gagasan Rakyat — the backbone of GRS — would not support.
He emphasized that GRS and PH Sabah already have a solid foundation of political cooperation, particularly in the administration of the state government.
'GRS has lost trust in BN/Umno due to their betrayal during the 'Langkah Kinabalu' episode,' he said, referring to the political manoeuvre he claimed was orchestrated by BN/Umno to undermine the ruling coalition.
Masiung pointed out that since the episode, BN/Umno leaders have continuously acted with hostility toward GRS, employing various tactics to destabilize the alliance.
'At the same time, Umno/BN Sabah has also declared that it will no longer work with GRS,' he noted.
He urged the Prime Minister to respect GRS's position and honour his earlier commitment to allow GRS chairman Hajiji Noor to lead the seat negotiations among aligned parties ahead of the state polls.
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