Latest news with #Umno-led
Daily Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
Razman hopes Perak exco man not given ‘immunity' in caricature probe
Published on: Tuesday, June 03, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jun 03, 2025 By: FMT Reporters Text Size: Perak opposition leader Razman Zakaria (left) has demanded that DAP's Woo Kah Leong apologise over a caricature post deemed offensive. PETALING JAYA: Perak opposition leader Razman Zakaria has urged authorities not to grant any 'immunity' to state executive councillor Woo Kah Leong, who is under police investigation over a social media post featuring an allegedly offensive caricature of him. The Gunong Semanggol assemblyman said he had demanded an apology from Woo, but that none was forthcoming. Instead, he said DAP continued to defend its youth chief's actions. He warned that any failure to act could erode public support for the state government led by Umno and Pakatan Harapan (PH). 'To the Umno-led state government leaders in Perak, like it or not, this is the quality of an exco member from DAP,' he said in a statement. 'If you have any honour, just resign from the exco post because the people are always watching and will judge what happens as a result of such irresponsible behaviour. 'It's not impossible that the people will reject you over this issue.' Police recorded Woo's statement yesterday in connection with the investigation into the allegedly provocative social media post. Woo had posted the caricature on Facebook alongside a statement in April. It depicted Razman as a clown riding a unicycle on a tightrope, labelling the Perak PAS chief as 'raja fitnah' ('the king of slander'). This was believed to be in reference to the various instances in which Razman had apologised to PH leaders over various accusations he had made against them. The PAS man has demanded that Woo apologise openly for the 'provocative' posting. However, Woo has stood by his Facebook post, saying it was not a personal attack but satire. He also said the police report stifled freedom of speech. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
GRS's 52-seat bid risks straining ties with national party allies, says analyst
Published on: Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Published on: Wed, May 28, 2025 By: Anne Muhammad, FMT Text Size: An analyst said a proposal for GRS to contest 52 out of 73 seats in the upcoming state polls could spark dissatisfaction among national party allies. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA: An analyst has cautioned that the call for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to contest 52 out of 73 seats in the upcoming state election risks stirring discontent among its potential allies from national parties. Syahruddin Awang Ahmad of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) said parties like Umno, which had a strong historical presence in Sabah, would see this as an attempt by GRS to 'take over' their seats. He added that GRS's proposal would have significant political implications on cooperation with Sabah's ruling coalition ahead of the state polls. 'An unfair seat distribution, or one that doesn't reflect the actual strength of each party, will have consequences,' he said. Lee Kuok Tiung, also of UMS, said three-cornered or multi-party contests would be unavoidable, even if GRS cooperates with national parties ahead of the state election. 'Overlapping areas are difficult to avoid,' he said. Advertisement Last Sunday, GRS vice-president Masiung Banah said GRS was expected to field candidates in at least 52 out of the 73 state constituencies at the next state polls. He said the remaining 21 seats would be allocated to national parties that agreed to cooperate with GRS. GRS and Pakatan Harapan (PH) are currently allies in the Sabah state administration while the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) sits in the opposition. PH and BN have announced an alliance for the state polls, while talks are ongoing to include GRS in the pact. On Sunday, PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar expressed hope that her party would be able to contest a minimum of 13 seats in the Sabah election. The following day, Sabah DAP deputy chief Chan Foong Hin said the state chapter was eyeing at least 10 seats in the state polls. Sabah Umno had said it hoped to contest 40 seats in the 17th state election. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah needs steady hands at the helm, not those that grab for power, says GRS leader
GRS information chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai (sixth right) officiating the newly-upgraded Poturidong - Tibabar road. KOTA KINABALU: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) is not anti-federal, but the coalition believes that the state must be led by its own leaders and free from outside influence, says Datuk Joniston Bangkuai. The GRS information chief said disagreements over seat allocations among parties seeking to form alliances are likely to result in a free-for-all in the upcoming state election. He urged voters to choose stability over political gamesmanship. 'We have seen the damage caused by reckless power plays," he said on Wednesday (May 21), referring to the failed January 2023 attempt to topple the GRS government. "Sabah needs steady hands and sincere leadership. This election is our opportunity to move forward, not backwards,' he added. ALSO READ: All election decisions must go through GRS Supreme Council, says Hajiji Bangkuai, who is also Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) information chief and Kiulu assemblyman, said GRS must be ready for any eventuality, including contesting solo as indicated by Chief Minister and GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. Hajiji had previously said the coalition was prepared to go it alone after Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan signed a declaration agreeing to cooperate in the Sabah election, a move some described as a deliberate snub to GRS. Bangkuai noted that a free-for-all could be a blessing in disguise, as it would allow Sabahans to choose between local parties and those led from Peninsular Malaysia. ALSO READ: Warisan confirms solo contest in Sabah state election 'Sabahans could well treat the upcoming state election as a referendum to choose from GRS, Umno-led Barisan, Pakatan, and Parti Warisan. 'This will be a clear test of whether we want to be led by leaders from local parties or by those who answer to parties headquartered in Kuala Lumpur,' he said at a meet-the-people session in Kg Tibabar after officiating the upgraded Poturidong-Tibabar road. Bangkuai said GRS has proven that Sabah-based coalitions can deliver meaningful development while maintaining a strong working relationship with the Federal Government. He said the increase in the annual federal special grant from RM53mil during Warisan's tenure to RM600mil under GRS was an example. ALSO READ: 'Don't be close-minded', Zahid tells local leaders over Sabah for Sabahans sentiment Another example he cited was the signing of the commercial collaboration agreement between the GRS-led state government and PETRONAS, which brought tangible benefits and increased state revenue. He said good governance, a focused development strategy under the Sabah Maju Jaya initiative, and close ties with Putrajaya had contributed to the state's annual revenue increasing to RM6.9bil, with reserves nearing RM8bil. 'We are not anti-federal, but we believe Sabah must lead itself, with leaders not bound by outside instructions. ALSO READ: 'Sabah for Sabahans' not divisive but a stand for dignity, says Kitingan ( 'GRS is proof that Sabah can work maturely with Putrajaya, and still prioritise the people of Sabah above all,' he said. Bangkuai also addressed past political manoeuvres involving Barisan, Warisan and Parti KDM, describing their joint attempt to topple the Chief Minister in January 2023 as politically ill-intentioned and damaging. 'It was never about leadership, it was about control and self-interest,' he said.
New Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Sabah likely facing a 'free-for-all' election, says GRS info chief
KOTA KINABALU: A free-for-all scenario in the upcoming Sabah state election is likely, says Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) information chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai. He said the possibility arose from disagreements over seat allocations among parties seeking to form electoral alliances. As such, Joniston stressed that GRS must be prepared for all eventualities, including contesting independently, as stated by Chief Minister and GRS chairman, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. Hajiji had previously said that GRS was ready to go it alone following the declaration signed between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) to cooperate in the Sabah election — a move widely seen as a deliberate snub to GRS. However, Joniston, who is also Kiulu assemblyman, suggested that a multi-cornered contest could be a blessing in disguise. He said such a scenario would allow the people of Sabah to make a clear choice between locally-based coalitions and those led by parties headquartered in Peninsular Malaysia. Speaking at a meet-the-people session in Kampung Tibabar after officiating the upgraded Poturidong-Tibabar road, he said: "Sabahans could treat the upcoming state election as a referendum — to choose between GRS, which is locally rooted, and Peninsular-based parties like the Umno-led BN, PH, and Parti Warisan Plus. "This will be a definitive test of whether we prefer leadership from local-based parties or those answerable to parties in Kuala Lumpur." Joniston, who is also Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) information chief, said GRS had shown that locally-based coalitions were capable of delivering meaningful development while maintaining constructive relations with the federal government. He cited the cordial relationship between the GRS-led state administration and the federal government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as an example. Joniston said that the annual federal special grant had increased significantly — from RM53 million during Warisan's administration to RM600 million under GRS. Another milestone, he said, was the signing of the Commercial Collaboration Agreement (CCA) between the Sabah government and Petronas, which brought tangible benefits and bolstered state revenue. He attributed Sabah's improved fiscal performance — including an increase in annual revenue to RM6.9 billion and state reserves nearing RM8 billion — to effective governance, a clear development strategy under the Sabah Maju Jaya initiative, and close collaboration with Putrajaya. "We are not anti-federal. But we believe Sabah should lead itself — with leaders not bound by external instructions. "GRS is proof that Sabah can engage maturely with Putrajaya while still placing the interests of its people first," he said. Joniston also addressed past political manoeuvres involving Umno-BN, Warisan, and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), describing their collective attempt to unseat the Chief Minister in January 2023 as politically self-serving and destabilising. "It was never about leadership — it was about control and self-interest," he said. He urged voters to reflect on the attempted power grab and to choose stability over political gamesmanship. "We've seen the damage that reckless power plays can cause. Sabah needs steady leadership and genuine commitment. This election is our chance to move forward — not backwards," he said.
Borneo Post
21-05-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
GRS warns of free-for-all in stare election
Joniston (sixth right) officiating the newly-upgraded Poturidong – Tibabar road. KIULU (May 21): Disagreement over the allocation of seats among parties intending to form alliances would likely lead to a free-for-all in the coming State election, said Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) information chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai. With such a possibility, Joniston said GRS must be prepared to face any eventuality, including going solo as stated by the Chief Minister and GRS chairman, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. Hajiji had said that GRS is ready to go it alone after Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) signed a declaration agreeing to work together in the Sabah election which many described as a deliberate snub to GRS. The Kiulu assemblyman said a free-for-all could be a blessing in disguise, as such a scenario would allow Sabahans to choose between a coalition of local parties and peninsular-based-led parties. He was speaking at a meet-the-people session in Kg Tibabar here after officiating the upgraded Poturidong-Tibabar road. 'Sabahans could well treat the upcoming state election as a referendum to choose between local-based GRS, Umno-led Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan, and Parti Warisan plus,' said Joniston, who is also Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) information chief. 'This will be a clear test of whether we want to be led by leaders from locally based parties or by those who answer to parties headquartered in Kuala Lumpur.' He said that GRS has demonstrated that local-based coalitions are capable of delivering meaningful development while working closely with the federal government. Citing an example, Joniston reiterated that although the local-based GRS leads the State government, it enjoys a cordial working relationship with Putrajaya under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Joniston also said that the annual federal special grant has been increased from RM53 million when Warisan was in power to RM600 million under GRS. Another example is the signing of the Commercial Collaboration Agreement (CCA) between the GRS-led State government and Petronas, which brought tangible benefits for Sabah and shored up the State's revenue. As a result of good governance and a focused development plan and strategy under the Sabah Maju Jaya initiative coupled with the good ties with Putrajaya, State annual revenue has increased to RM6.9 billion and State reserve close to RM8 billion. 'We are not anti-federal, but we believe Sabah must lead itself, with leaders not bound by outside instructions. 'GRS is proof that Sabah can work maturely with Putrajaya, and still prioritise the people of Sabah above all,' he added. Joniston also touched on past political manoeuvres involving Umno-BN, Warisan and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), describing their combined attempt to topple the Chief Minister in January 2023 as politically ill-intended and damaging. 'It was never about leadership, it was about control and self-interest.' Joniston urged voters to reflect on the January 2023 attempted power-grab and choose stability over political gamesmanship. 'We've seen the damage caused by reckless power plays. Sabah needs steady hands and sincere leadership. This election is our opportunity to move forward, and not backwards,' he said.
