Bung to Armizan: Sabah BN won't wait for 'green light' from others

New Straits Times

9 hours ago

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) is ready to face Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) in the upcoming state election, stressing that it does not rely on "green lights" from others to make political decisions.
Sabah BN chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said the coalition welcomed healthy democratic competition and would only engage in political cooperation based on sincerity and mutual respect.
"We do not wait for signals from any party to determine our position or course of action.
"More importantly, this issue must be viewed in the broader context of political legitimacy, strategic autonomy, and sincerity in cooperation.
"BN is not against cooperation. But we do not want partnerships that merely serve to boost numbers or lend legitimacy to a fragile rule," said Bung, who is also the Sabah Umno liaison committee chairman, in a statement.
The Lamag assemblyman was responding to a statement by GRS deputy secretary-general Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, who said yesterday that the Sabah-based coalition should face BN in the coming state polls.
The domestic trade and cost of living minister had said that a contest between the two coalitions would allow the people to decide who they wanted to govern the state.
Bung added that if GRS was indeed ready to compete democratically, Sabah BN welcomed the challenge.
"In a democracy, contests are not to be feared.
"They present opportunities to determine who truly has the people's trust, based on real strength, not borrowed support or shortcuts."
He stressed that Sabah BN would not shape its political direction based on the statements of others, and that past experience had made the coalition wary of entering political alliances lightly.
"Cooperation without sincerity is like building a house on mud. It may stand briefly but will collapse under pressure. We have learned our lesson.
"The people have also witnessed how alliances without sincerity result in weak, inconsistent, and unconvincing governments.
"In politics, legitimacy is not defined by seat numbers alone, but by the people's trust in the sincerity of one's struggle."