Latest news with #Barisan
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Pakatan to handle GRS-Barisan rifts
KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Harapan will have to walk a tightrope in juggling the electoral cooperation between rivals Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), says state Umno leader Datuk Salleh Said Keruak. With the GRS opting to forge an electoral pact with Pakatan in the coming state election, he said Barisan will leave it to Pakatan to manage the cooperation between the three parties. 'For Barisan, we made the choice to work with Pakatan early on. 'It was on the basis that we are the foundation of the unity government at the federal level. 'So this cooperation is a logical and responsible continuation. 'How Pakatan manages cooperation with Barisan and GRS is none of our business. 'What is important for Barisan is a sincere cooperation,' he said in a Facebook post. At present, there are two alliances in preparation for the Sabah polls: Pakatan and Barisan, and Pakatan and GRS. Salleh, who is Sabah Umno treasurer and a former Sabah chief minister, said their focus is to strengthen the party on the ground. 'We want to win and help our coalition partners. 'We are not a two-faced player. 'Our approach is clear – honest, open and for the good of the people of Sabah,' he said. Both GRS and Sabah Barisan, who were partners in the 2020 state election, have refused to work with each other after Sabah Barisan withdrew its support for Hajiji in January 2023. Sabah Pakatan filled the vacuum and kept Hajiji's state government afloat. Salleh said that GRS' decision to forge an electoral pact with Pakatan reflected that they have chosen to work with national parties and rejected the all-local party formula adopted in Sarawak. 'GRS' decision to choose Pakatan as a partner for the Sabah election deserves respect. 'They ultimately rejected the solo path and chose to work with national parties. 'Of course, they have their own basis, and the people will judge,' he added. Salleh said GRS' decision rejects the Sarawak formula that distances itself from national parties. 'They (GRS) chose to work with national parties. 'We in Barisan have been consistent from the beginning that a coalition with Pakatan is the best approach for stability,' he said. His posting comes in response to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor's confirmation on Sunday about an electoral pact with Pakatan. There has been no immediate reaction by GRS component party partners on Hajiji's announcement of the electoral pact. Salleh believes that GRS chose Pakatan as a partner because they wanted to work with the Prime Minister's party to ensure good relations with the federal government. 'This is in line with the need to guarantee political stability and development for Sabah,' he said.
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
GRS supreme council yet to endorse electoral pact with Pakatan, says SAPP chief
KOTA KINABALU: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) supreme council has yet to discuss and collectively agree to endorse the electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan, says Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee. The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president said so far, the GRS supreme council had not held a meeting to endorse the electoral pact with Pakatan announced by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor on Sunday on the sidelines of the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah annual general meeting. "There has not been a meeting of the Supreme Council in the last few months. If and when there is a meeting, of course, we will attend. "As for what might happen, it depends. For example, what has been agreed between the GRS chairman and Pakatan? Was anything agreed at all?" Yong asked. Hajiji's announcement of the pact took several of the eight party GRS leaders by surprise. The leaders declined to make any immediate comments, saying they wanted clarification on the matter first. Yong said that Hajiji had discussed the matter with GRS component party presidents but nothing was finalised until approved by the GRS supreme council. He also said it was confusing as Pakatan and Barisan have said that they have finalised seat allocation for the Sabah polls. GRS had shown signs it was keen to go solo but Hajiji had constantly voiced preference to continue working with Pakatan for political stability. GRS and Barisan, who worked together to topple the state government under Warisan-Pakatan government in the September 2020 state polls, have been at loggerheads since Barisan pulled its support for Hajiji in January 2023. Sabah Pakatan gave their backing to GRS for the Hajiji-led government to remain in power.
The Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah polls: PH has a delicate balancing act to pull off, says former CM Salleh
KOTA KINABALU: It will be up to Pakatan Harapan to walk the tightrope in juggling electoral cooperation between Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), says Datuk Salleh Said Keruak. The Sabah Umno treasurer said that with GRS opting to forge an electoral pact with Pakatan in the coming state election, Barisan will leave it to Pakatan to manage the cooperation among the three parties. ALSO READ: Sabah polls: GRS and Pakatan to continue electoral pact "For Barisan, we chose to work with Pakatan early on... (as) we are the foundation of the unity government at the federal level. So this cooperation is a logical and responsible continuation," the former chief minister said in a Facebook post on Monday (July 28). "How Pakatan manages cooperation with Barisan and GRS is none of our business. "What is important for Barisan is sincere cooperation, and our focus is to strengthen the party on the ground. "We want to win and help our coalition partners. We are not a two-faced player. "Our approach is clear – honest, open, and for the good of the people of Sabah." GRS and Sabah Barisan were partners in the 2020 state election. ALSO READ: GRS partners surprised over Hajiji's GRS-PH pact announcement They have refused to work with each other since Sabah Barisan withdrew its support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in January 2023. Sabah Pakatan filled the vacuum and kept Hajiji's state government afloat. Salleh said the GRS decision to forge an electoral pact with Pakatan reflected that it has chosen to work with national parties and reject the "all local" approach adopted in Sarawak. "The GRS decision to choose Pakatan as a partner for the Sabah election deserves respect. "It ultimately rejected the solo path and chose to work with national parties. Of course, it has (its reasons)... and the people will judge," Salleh added. "We in Barisan have been consistent from the beginning that a coalition with Pakatan is the best approach for stability," he said. ALSO READ: Former leader's opposition to Borneo bloc prompted GRS to back unity government, Hajiji says His comments followed Hajiji's confirmation on Sunday (July 27) that an electoral pact with Pakatan had been confirmed and they were just ironing out the details. There has been no immediate official reaction by GRS coalition partners to Hajiji's announcement. Salleh believes that GRS chose Pakatan as a partner because it wanted to work with the Prime Minister's party to ensure good relations with the Federal Government. "This is in line with the need to guarantee political stability and development for Sabah," he said. Over the last few weeks, Sabah Barisan and Pakatan have reached several agreements on seats to be contested in their negotiations in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia.
The Star
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Johor Amanah eyes incumbent BN state seats of Skudai, Kota Iskandar
JOHOR BARU: Parti Amanah Negara wants Pakatan Harapan to contest solo in the Skudai and Kota Iskandar state seats under the Iskandar Puteri parliamentary constituency. This could mean a head-to-head battle between Pakatan and Barisan Nasional, which is the incumbent in Kota Iskandar. Iskandar Puteri Amanah division chief Dzulkefly Ahmad said the decision for Pakatan to contest in both the state seats under the Iskandar Puteri parliamentary constituency came during the division's annual general meeting on Sunday (July 20). 'Amanah is prepared to face any possibilities, including three-cornered fights if necessary, by bringing the people's agenda of national unity, institutional reform and sustainable development. 'This decision was made in the spirit of reinforcing Pakatan and ensuring Johoreans continue to have the best choice when evaluating principled and capable candidates focused on the people's interest,' he said in a statement on Monday (July 21). Dzulkefly, who is also Johor Amanah deputy chief, added that this reflected the party's commitment to strengthening Pakatan in key strategic areas to ensure continuity of progressive and inclusive governance for the rakyat. He also said that any negotiations in view of the upcoming state election should consider grassroots strength and the past performance of candidates and parties in each constituency. In the 2022 Johor election, Dzulkefly went up against a five-cornered fight with Barisan's Pandak Ahmad (Umno), Perikatan Nasional's Samsudin Ismail (Bersatu), Gerakan Tanah Air's Dr Zaini Abu Bakar (Pejuang) and Parti Sosialist Malaysia's R. Arangkannal. Pandak won the seat with 23,133 votes while Dzulkefly received 18,773 votes. Pakatan's Marina Ibrahim won the Skudai seat, a DAP stronghold, in a three-cornered fight against Barisan's Lim Soon Hai (MCA) and Perikatan's Khoo Kong Ek (Bersatu).
The Star
20-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Muhyiddin's former political secretary reveals Perikatan offer to BN during GE15 talks
SHAH ALAM: The former political secretary to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has exposed a letter in which he claims that Barisan Nasional had been offered the Deputy Prime Minister's post in talks after the 15th General Elections in 2023. In revealing this, Datuk Dr Marzuki Mohamad ( pic ) said the letter indicated that Perikatan not only offered the Deputy Prime Minister's role but was also willing to provide Cabinet positions and other government roles as necessary. He said this refutes claims by former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli, who alleged that Perikatan did not offer any positions and looked down on Barisan. "I watched a video of Rafizi claiming that Perikatan made no offers to Barisan during the government formation negotiations after GE15,' said Marzuki. "In fact, he claimed that Muhyiddin looked down on Umno. He said he had insiders in the Perikatan-Barisan negotiations at the St Regis Hotel on Nov 23, 2022. I don't know if he really has 'insiders'. Rafizi, you are lying," Marzuki added in a Facebook post on Saturday (July 19). Marzuki then said that he was fully involved in the negotiations from beginning to end and added that the talks took place in a cordial atmosphere. "Never once did Muhyiddin belittle Umno. Besides, everyone present were his friends in Umno and Barisan. They spoke like friends. "Secondly, there must be offers in negotiations. The Barisan delegation came with the offer of Barisan Members of Parliament giving 'en-bloc' support to Muhyiddin as Prime Minister,' said Marzuki. "In return, Perikatan offered the Deputy Prime Minister position to Barisan, along with Cabinet positions based on the composition of parliamentary seats won, and several other matters," he said. He added that the Deputy Prime Minister from Barisan was not determined; it had to be negotiated between the Prime Minister and Barisan leadership. Marzuki then said that at the end of the negotiations, the Barisan delegation led by Deputy Chairman, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, requested that the offers be made in writing for presentation at the Umno supreme council meeting that evening. "After the negotiations ended, I sat with Perikatan Secretary-General, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, and others to prepare a letter containing Perikatan's offer to Barisan. "The letter addressed to the Barisan Deputy Chairman, was handed over on the same day. At that time, I saw no reason for Umno to reject the offer with the reasonable terms discussed and agreed upon in principle during the negotiations. It just needed to be brought to the Umno supreme council for confirmation," he said. However, Marzuki added that he was unsure if the letter was discussed at the Umno supreme council meeting on the night of Nov 23. He then said that later on that night, he was surprised to read a media statement from the Umno secretary-general stating that the supreme council had decided to reject cooperation with Perikatan and chose to collaborate with Pakatan Harapan instead. "I was speechless. But what can be done? It was already late at night, the decision had been made, the body was tired, so I just went to sleep, hoping that tomorrow would be better than yesterday,' said Marzuki. "I am not an important person, but I have been destined to be involved in many political negotiations. I do not like to disclose negotiation details, but if it has become a source of lies and slander, it is my responsibility to state the truth,' he added.
