Pandikar U Turns On Grs Going Solo Says He Was Amplifying Kitingan S View

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United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) president Pandikar Amin Mulia has toned down his political rhetoric, extending support to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) leader Hajiji Noor’s plan to collaborate with Pakatan Harapan.
In a statement, he clarified that his previous passionate remarks advocating for GRS to go solo were reflections of Star president Jeffrey Kitingan’s views and were meant to gauge grassroots support.
"I acknowledge amplifying Kitingan's sentiment that collaborating with peninsula-based parties equates to betrayal.
“This sentiment was echoed during Usno's roadshows to assess Sabahan support for local parties like Usno or GRS standing alone.
ADS"Feedback gathered from these political roadshows indicates that while many Sabahans prefer GRS to go solo, there’s also substantial support for avoiding total political confrontation with Putrajaya," he said.
Previously a staunch internal critic within GRS, Pandikar (above) had warned of the coalition’s risk of becoming overly influenced by federal politics and even considered exiting GRS.
‘Rumah kita, kita jaga’
GRS faced the challenge of advocating for local political autonomy, especially after its chairperson Hajiji officially announced an alliance with Harapan.
CM Hajiji NoorNow, Pandikar affirms Usno’s commitment to GRS, endorsing Hajiji’s federal engagement as a pragmatic approach to maintaining coalition control.
“Hajiji personally discussed with me and assured that GRS will field candidates in over 50 seats, aligning with the coalition’s rallying cry: ‘Rumah kita, kita jaga’ (We take care of our own house),” he said.
Efforts to obtain Kitingan's comments responding to Pandikar were unsuccessful at the time of writing.
Star president Jeffrey KitinganGRS component party, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), also supports the plan to partner with Harapan in the upcoming Sabah election.
This development follows calls for GRS to contest independently during the first joint convention between PBS and Star on July 12 in Penampang.
The two parties are exploring a merger. - Mkini

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