KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s attendance at the Sabah Barisan Nasional gathering this Sunday is proof of the party’s strong relations with Pakatan Harapan.
Sabah Barisan information chief Datuk Suhaimi Nasir said the presence of Anwar, the Pakatan chairman, at the event in Sandakan bodes well for preparations for the 17th Sabah state election next year.
“A new history will be created for Sabah Barisan when the Prime Minister arrives as the special guest and delivers an address at the Himpunan Barisan Negeri Sabah this Sunday,” he said, in a statement on Friday (July 19).
“The Barisan-Pakatan combination is poised to have a positive effect and will likely change the political landscape in Sabah, in line with the strong understanding between the Pakatan chairman and Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi,” he added.
Sabah Barisan chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin also reaffirmed that the Barisan-Pakatan formula was the best equation to face the state election, at the same time rejecting anti-malaya and anti-federal sentiments frequently fanned by political rivals.
Bung Moktar, also Sabah Umno chief, said Sabahans were also aware that the unity government led by Anwar cared for people in the state.
He added that this was manifested through Budget 2024 when Sabah was allocated development funds to access RM6.6bil compared to RM6.5bil the previous year.
“Besides that, the Federal Government has, under the spirit of Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), devolved powers to technical agencies in Sabah and Sarawak to decide on the implementation of development projects below RM50mil.
“This proves the Prime Minister is earnest in wanting to see development and progress in Sabah,” he added.
Bung Moktar said the Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd transformation plan and power generation through a solar hybrid system were among the programmes under this initiative.
