KOTA KINABALU: A member of the Supreme Council of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) is urging a unification of three key parties in Sabah—STAR, PBS, and WARISAN—as a strategic move to prepare for the upcoming Sabah State Election.
This call for unity is seen as an effort to strengthen PBS’s political standing, especially as internal sources indicate growing doubts about the effectiveness of their collaboration with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
Insiders within PBS have expressed concerns that the partnership with GRS has not yielded significant political benefits and may even be detrimental. They warn that if PBS continues with GRS, their aspirations to contest more seats in the upcoming elections could be jeopardised.
This situation has raised alarms among party members who view GRS as an unsuitable political ally for PBS.
“PBS must seek strong political allies, and in this case, GRS is not the right choice,” stated an internal source.
There are fears that persisting with GRS could lead to a decline or substantial losses in the forthcoming Sabah State Election.
The proposal to unite with STAR and WARISAN is seen as a more favourable alternative to position PBS as a stronger political force in Sabah. This move is also expected to bolster local political standing and ensure PBS remains relevant in an increasingly challenging political landscape.
So far, there has been no official statement from PBS’s top leadership regarding this request; however, this development is likely to attract significant attention from various political factions in Sabah, especially with the elections approaching.
Another local party gaining traction among the populace is the Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), led by Datuk Peter Anthony.
Meanwhile, Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal was recently quoted as saying that “if we do form an alliance, it will be with local parties”.
