KOTA KINABALU: The rumors are swirling that a new political coalition in Sabah will soon be formed.
This new coalition is said to be joining forces to compete against the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) in the upcoming state election.
Among the opposition parties in the state that are rumored to join this coalition are Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, national party – UMNO Sabah led by Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) led by Datuk Peter Anthony, and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) led by Datuk Arthur Kurup.
Although no decision has been made yet, the leaders of these parties agree that it is not easy to win the state election on their own.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) will also make a decision regarding political cooperation in Sabah, but only after the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly.
As of now, it remains unclear whether PH will collaborate with GRS or vice versa.
On Friday, Bung Moktar, who is also the Chairman of Barisan Nasional (BN) Sabah, was quoted as saying that the current political scenario shows that no single party can govern unless through a coalition.
Therefore, he believes that UMNO Sabah should form a new coalition or cooperate with others to face the upcoming state election.
Previously, Warisan and KDM have expressed their readiness to cooperate with other opposition parties in the state to challenge GRS led by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor in the state election.
The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) currently consists of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Sabah Bersatu (USNO), Parti Maju Sabah (SAPP), Parti Liberal Demokratik (LDP), and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat).
