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Political shifts ahead of Sabah polls 'more interesting', says Liew

Political shifts ahead of Sabah polls 'more interesting', says Liew

The Star10-05-2025

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah PKR political bureau chairman Datuk Christina Liew has remained silent on potential political realignments ahead of the next state election.
This comes amidst speculation that Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) may contest solo if Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional confirm their partnership.
GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said on Friday (May 9) that the Sabah-based coalition intends to contest the upcoming state polls alone after Sabah Pakatan aligned with the national Pakatan-Barisan decision to work together.
'I honestly do not know what is going on. I read that the Chief Minister (Hajiji) said he would make an announcement after the upcoming state legislative assembly is dissolved, so we will have to wait and see,' said Liew at the MATTA Fair Sabah 2025 launch on Saturday (May 10).
Asked whether Sabah PKR was preparing for any possible realignment, Liew, who is also the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, declined to speculate.
'This is a serious matter. I would like to have more definite answers before commenting. But it is getting more and more interesting,' she added.
Liew, who is also Api-Api assemblyman, stressed that political developments would not deter her focus on serving the people.
'Whatever happens, whether there are changes or not, we will continue to serve the people in our constituencies. That remains our priority,' she said.
The next state election in Sabah is expected to reshape political alignments as coalitions weigh their grassroots strength amid shifting voter sentiment.
Although United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) are local parties, they are currently aligned with Sabah Pakatan and Sabah Barisan, respectively.
With Hajiji signalling a solo path for GRS, observers say Sabah may witness a showdown between local-based and national-based political coalitions.

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