Latest news with #Pakatan
The Star
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah polls: No deal with BN but GRS keen to keep working with Pakatan, says Hajiji
KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is adamant that its partnership in the upcoming state election will not include Barisan Nasional. Its chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said while any official cooperation has yet to be formed, the coalition's priority is to maintain the existing state government formed together with Pakatan Harapan. 'Cooperation? Not yet. We want cooperation. For now, we are defending the current government. "The GRS-Pakatan government is our foundation. And we have conveyed this to the Right Honourable Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. ALSO READ: GRS must take lead for any political collaboration, says deputy chairman 'So, (as for) other matters, we will discuss them. The election has not happened yet. Dissolution (of the state assembly) has not happened either. 'So, just be patient. I will inform you,' he told the media when met at the Kota Kinabalu- Labuan ferry service launch here on Tuesday (May 27). He was responding to recent statements by Sabah PKR chief Datuk Mustapaha Sakmud urging GRS to finalise cooperation ahead of the election. ALSO READ: GRS must decide to go solo or pick partners, says Sabah PKR Hajiji, however, declined to comment further on the election date or strategy, instead urging all parties to await the final decision from GRS leadership. Earlier, the Chief Minister stressed that GRS would consider going solo if current state government partner Pakatan confirms its electoral pact with Barisan. The Pakatan-Barisan agreement was reached in a top-level meeting on May 8 between Pakatan chairman and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Barisan chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. ALSO READ: Federal-state unity key for Sabah growth, says Zahid It was announced by the Unity Government Secretariat in a joint statement the following day. However, Anwar, during his visit to Tawau later that week, said GRS was not out of the picture yet when it came to political cooperation. Anwar noted that he had discussed the matter with Hajiji about continuing the collaboration between Pakatan and GRS.
The Star
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah DAP aims to contest 10 seats at state polls
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah DAP is targeting more than 10 seats in the 17th Sabah Election (PRN17), says its deputy chairman Datuk Chan Foong Hin. He said the decision was made during the party's recent state retreat but remains subject to negotiation with coalition partners under the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional pact. Chan said the party aims to defend its four state seats, namely Tanjong Papat, Kapayan, Likas and Luyang, as well as the two seats where its representatives defected to Warisan, namely Sri Tanjong and Elopura. In the previous state election, Sabah DAP contested seven seats. Apart from DAP, the Pakatan coalition in Sabah includes PKR, United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) and Parti Amanah Sabah. On PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar's statement about contesting at least 13 seats in the state polls, Chan said the final allocation depends on consensus within Pakatan. "Once there is consensus within Pakatan on seat allocation, only then can we begin formal negotiations with other coalitions," he said on Monday (May 26). In the 2020 state election, DAP contested under the Warisan logo, while PKR and Upko used their own party symbols, collectively winning nine seats. Chan said the upcoming state polls will be more complex than the 2020 election, involving three major blocs – the Pakatan-Barisan pact, GRS and Warisan. "For other groups, there is interest in collaboration but formalising these discussions takes time," he said. Chan said, for now, everything remains open. "Nothing is set in stone. Each coalition must finalise its internal consensus before moving forward," he said.
The Star
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Higher Education Ministry: No objection to Sarawak's free higher education initiative
PUTRAJAYA: The Higher Education Ministry has no objections to Sarawak's initiative to offer free tertiary education, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir. He said this was because the state has the financial means and administrative capability to do so. 'Therefore, no party should make any other impression on the steps taken by the Sarawak state government. 'In the context of the federal government, we always cooperate with any state in our efforts to further improve the quality of education, whether at the primary or higher education level,' he said after launching the 'Karisma: Aspiring Madani Leaders; The 3H Leadership Module' during the 2025 Karisma programme for Madani young leaders on Monday (May 26). Meanwhile, on the Sabah state elections, Zambry said seat negotiations are not confined to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, as Barisan Nasional (BN) is open to broader cooperation involving various parties. Zambry, who is also Barisan's secretary-general, said discussions — both direct and indirect — have already begun, involving multiple political stakeholders in Sabah. 'We are not limiting negotiations only to Pakatan. As the Barisan chairman (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) mentioned, our steps include working with others as well — Barisan, Pakatan, and the 'plus-plus' group, which includes parties from Sabah,' he said. Zambry was responding to Ahmad Zahid's statement on Sunday (May 25) in which he said that the coalition is open to negotiations with any component party within the unity government regarding seat allocations for the upcoming Sabah state election. He also said that Barisan was committed to building a stronger political consensus in Sabah, taking into account the voices and strengths of component parties and strategic partners at the state level. 'Even within Barisan and Pakatan, we have Sabah-based parties. So we recognise the importance of local support and do not want these negotiations to appear focused only on two coalitions,' he added. He said that the negotiation process would continue progressively, taking into account the interests of the people of Sabah and the current political landscape in the state. 'The process is ongoing, and we are open to all forms of negotiations and proposals that can lead to the best possible consensus,' he said.
The Star
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Sabah's 20% oil royalty request still stands, says former CM Salleh
KOTA KINABALU: The call for a 20% oil royalty for Sabah should not be forgotten in discussions on the state's constitutional right to 40% net revenue return, says former chief minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak. Salleh said the demand for higher oil royalty, once a unifying call among Sabahans, is more straightforward than the complex debate over the 40% revenue entitlement under the Federal Constitution. ALSO READ: Fulfil MA63 vows, Pakatan told 'While the current focus has shifted to the 40% net revenue return, the reality is that its implementation remains unclear and continues to be debated from various legal and technical standpoints,' he said in a statement on Friday (May 23). In contrast, Salleh said the 20% oil royalty request requires no complicated legal interpretation, only mutual political will and understanding between the state and Putrajaya. ALSO READ: Sabah to continue pursuit of 20% oil royalty, but 'as a family' and 'team' He acknowledged recent efforts to involve Sabah in downstream oil and gas activities as a step in the right direction for industrial participation and local empowerment. However, he cautioned that such economic involvement should not be mistaken for a substitute for the rightful claim to oil royalty. 'Royalty is not just about economic collaboration. It is about direct revenue from resource extraction. It is a matter of entitlement,' he said. ALSO READ: Sabah may never get 20% oil royalty, but there are other ways to get what is owed to the state, says Bung Moktar Salleh also stressed that the original demand for 20% oil royalty is neither outdated nor irrelevant. 'As we explore the constitutional entitlement to 40% (net revenue return), we must not forget the original voice of the people. The call for oil royalty still stands as a just and rightful claim,' he added.
The Star
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Don't get too comfortable with your mandate in Melaka, Bersatu Youth tells Akmal
PETALING JAYA: Melaka needs leaders who solve the people's problems instead of squabbling, says Bersatu Youth. Its information chief Harris Idaham Rashid said there was dissatisfaction on the ground with the recent back-and-forth between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan over seat sharing in next year's state election. He also advised Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh not to "get too comfortable" with the mandate the party received in the 2021 state polls, as the political landscape had changed. "The people want leaders who don't just criticise and fight among themselves, but who find solutions to the problems faced by the public," he said in a statement on Monday (May 19). He said support for Perikatan Nasional had surged in the state, as seen in the GE15 results in 2022 when the coalition won in Umno strongholds like Jasin, where Dr Akmal is division chief. In 2021, Barisan secured a two-thirds majority in the state assembly, winning 21 out of 28 seats. Pakatan won five and Perikatan, two. In GE15, however, Barisan lost in every parliamentary seat it contested in Melaka. Pakatan won three of the six seats, with Perikatan taking the remaining three. Earlier this month, nine DAP branches in the state proposed a 14-14 seat sharing formula between Barisan and Pakatan in the next Melaka election. Akmal had reportedly rejected the idea outright, telling his unity government colleagues to "dream on". Last week, Barisan chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said seat discussions should be left to the top leadership and besides, the Melaka polls are only due next year.
