PM: PH Sabah to decide priorities, strategy

Borneo Post

3 days ago

Anwar (seated centre) and PH Sabah leaders at the press conference.
KOTA KINABALU (May 30): Pakatan Harapan (PH) Sabah will lead in determining its own direction, priorities and strategy for the upcoming state election, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with PH Sabah leaders here on Thursday night, Anwar said his visits to Sabah are not to dictate, but to listen and understand the views of PH leaders in the state.
'Our view is that when I come, I take the opportunity to listen. The view of PH Sabah will determine the priority, strategy, manifesto and areas in consultation with friends such as GRS or BN and then we decide,' he said.
Anwar explained that full control of election planning in the state has been entrusted to PH Sabah, in line with his belief in local autonomy and trust-based collaboration.
'Our decision is to hand over control of the election to PH Sabah. Why? Because I believe that if we want to defend the future of the state and its people, the relationship between PH Sabah and the people must be close, based on mutual trust,' he said.
He added that Sabah should emulate the improving relationship between the Federal Government and Sarawak, which has led to better outcomes in terms of development and federal-state cooperation.
'That is why I urge the people of Sabah to think about this. There must be a stronger network between PH Sabah and the Sabah government,' he said.
Anwar also reiterated the Federal Government's commitment to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), pointing to significant progress made over the past two years.
'We gave priority to MA63 through the efforts of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Sri Fadillah Yusof and all the Sabah and Sarawak ministers. This is proof of our commitment. That's why we managed to solve nine major issues that had been outstanding for decades,' he said.
'For me, transparency and governance are essential. This is not about fighting for personal gain, but about defending the future of the state. We are also the government that stood firm on Sabah's sovereignty in the Sulu claim. We spent a great deal to defend the dignity of our nation,' Anwar said.
He pointed out that Malaysia's position on Sabah was also successfully defended during recent ASEAN engagements, thanks to strong representation from Malaysian officials.
Turning his attention back to the state election, Anwar said that PH Sabah has four key leaders who will lead the decision-making process.
Anwar also shared that he had met with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to offer his support for the direction each respective coalition had agreed upon.
'We support what PH Sabah wants. We also support what BN wants,' he said, adding that the room for communication remained open.
'In any political engagement, the space to discuss matters must never be closed. What we want is a stable political landscape and a close relationship between federal and state leaders,' Anwar said.