KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has suggested that all parties working with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) should contest using the ruling state coalition’s logo in the upcoming state election, including Pakatan Harapan.
The GRS deputy chairman said that campaigning in this way would show that the parties that are now part of the state government are united.
He also attempted to clarify a statement by fellow GRS component United Sabah National Organisation (Usno )president Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, who had urged peninsula-based parties to sit out the Sabah polls and let only local outfits contest.
“I think what he (Pandikar) means is everybody should contest under GRS, whether you are Pakatan or whatever – we use only one logo,” said the Sabah STAR president after attending the Ceramah Perdana Hari Sabah here on Thursday (Aug 29).
“This is better, isn’t it,” he added.
The Deputy Chief Minister pointed out that a Pakatan component had done this before through DAP, which had contested under Parti Warisan’s banner in the 2020 Sabah state snap election, and added that Bersatu had previously contested under the PKR logo in the 2018 general election.
“So, nothing wrong. That only shows how united we are. I think that will be more important so that we are seen as one bloc,” he added.
Pandikar was quoted by the Malay Mail on Thursday as saying GRS must assert its autonomy by urging parties from across the pond to not contest in the next state election which is due next year but could be called earlier.
The former Dewan Rakyat speaker contended that three of the seven GRS component parties favoured going all in for the 73 state seats up for grabs in the polls.
According to Pandikar, these parties besides Usno were the Sabah Progressive Party led by Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee and Sabah STAR, all of which did not want peninsula-based parties to contest in the election.
He said the other four parties in GRS have yet to officially state their stance on the matter, including Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, which is led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who is also the GRS chairman.
