Sabah assembly could dissolve within days of Gagasan Rakyat congress, says analysts

The Star

13 hours ago

KOTA KINABALU: Political watchers are weighing in on the possibility of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor dissolving the state assembly within days after his Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) three-day congress from July 25-27.
With only four months to the automatic dissolution on Nov 11, some analysts speculate that Hajiji is likely to call for it before National Day (Aug 31), though some within Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) are keen for elections to take place after Malaysia Day (Sept 16).
However, it is still not clear if Hajiji will call for a GRS supreme council meeting immediately after his party's congress to discuss dates for dissolution.
A GRS leader indicated that there was no scheduled GRS supreme council meeting or any planned convention among parties scheduled for this month so far.
But, they expect Hajiji to have a clear mandate from his party on its alliances and preferred dissolution dates after his party's congress.
Some members within the eight-party GRS prefer going it the full term as they could capitalise on Sabah Day, which is the celebration of the state's independence from British colonial rule on Aug 31, 1963.
They have indicated celebrating Sabah Day would boost the local coalition's push for state autonomy in line with the growing groundswell for state rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963, the basis of Sabah joining the federation.
Though many feel that it makes little difference, some leaders think that celebrating Sabah Day before the election would be a booster and help create a feel-good mood for GRS caught in delayed infrastructure deliveries and graft issues.
Hajiji, himself, has said that he will get the consensus of GRS leaders before advising the Governor Tun Musa Aman on the dissolution of the assembly.
Political analyst Prof Dr Romzi Ationg, a senior lecturer of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), believes that Hajiji was likely to seek the dissolution of the assembly within days after the Gagasan Rakyat congress.
"I don't think Hajiji will wait longer, I believe the Chief Minister needs to weigh in on the views of some of his federal counterparts who want to see an election held sooner.
"But many are hoping GRS opts for a full term as they are in a dire need to, at least, minimise, if not, solve many problems such as water shortages, electricity issues etc.
"Despite that, many are of the opinion that Hajiji will likely dissolve the current assembly after the Gagasan Rakyat congress," he said, explaining that holding the 17th state election in September or October could be considered going a full term as the 16th state election was held on Sept 26, 2020.
Gagasan Rakyat, a Muslim native based multiracial party, with its 26 state seats, is the anchor party of GRS, while non-Muslim based Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) with seven seats and Sabah STAR with six seats are the major partners of GRS.
GRS holds 42 seats in the 79-seat (including six nominated seats) state assembly.
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat) have one seat each, while other GRS component partners without a seat are the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) and Usno.
GRS is currently in coalition with Sabah Pakatan Harapan, who hold seven state seats.
GRS is ready to continue to work with Sabah Pakatan in an electoral pact for the election, but most of its components insist that GRS should be the dominant partner in line with the state's autonomous rights.
Sabah Barisan, which broke away from the GRS government in January 2023, is forging a coalition with Sabah Pakatan in line with the political framework of the federal unity government. Both GRS and Barisan have refused to work with each other.