Sabah Dap To Use Policy Yardstick For Election Alliances

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 Phoong Jin Zhe says Sabah DAP wants to establish a state government based on those policies agreed upon by possible allies.
Sabah DAP chairman Phoong Jin Zhe said what was crucial was establishing good policies to resolve various challenges and issues faced by Sabah. (Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA: Sabah DAP will determine its political alliances for the coming state assembly elections based on whether the party is in agreement with possible allies on policy matters.
State party chairman Phoong Jin Zhe said: “The prerequisites are vital before determining any political alliances – do we have the same policies, how can we boost Sabah’s fertility rate or build more hospitals for the benefit of the people of Sabah.”
He said Sabah DAP had worked with many political parties in the past, but what was crucial for Sabah at this juncture was establishing good policies to resolve various challenges and issues faced by the state.
“That is DAP’s stand. We discuss policies first, and then we can talk about working with any party to establish a government based on those policies,” the Borneo Post quoted him as saying. “Otherwise, the rakyat would think that we are only thinking about politics every day, which is not good for Sabah,” he added.
Phoong, who is a state minister, maintained that Sabah DAP had not held formal talks on electoral pacts with any party, including the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Barisan Nasional.
Nonetheless, the party was open to working with both coalitions. “If we receive an official invitation tomorrow, for example, we will entertain it. There is no problem, we can have coffee over it. But don’t announce anything before official discussions,” he said.
Phoong was referring to Sabah BN chief Bung Moktar Radin’s apparently premature announcement that the coalition would be working with Pakatan Harapan for the state polls, which must be held by early December.
Sabah Umno information chief Suhaimi Nasir later defended Bung’s announcement, saying it was a strategic “agenda setting” move. Suhaimi also said whether the cooperation materialises was a “secondary matter”.
Earlier, GRS chairman Hajiji Noor said his coalition will soon hold formal discussions with PH on working together for the state elections.
PH gave Hajiji its backing as chief minister after Sabah BN retracted its support for the GRS chairman in early 2023. - FMT

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