KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno has the autonomy to decide on its electoral pact for the coming 17th Sabah Election, says Datuk Seri Dr Zahid Hamidi.
The Umno president said the central leadership respects Sabah Umno’s autonomy and is confident in its chief, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin’s decision on this matter.
Zahid, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman, expressed confidence that negotiations between the Sabah Barisan and the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition would continue.
“And I am sure Bung will holistically look at this. Nothing cannot be negotiated, and we are consulting each other on this and many other matters,” he said after launching the Sepanggar election machinery on Saturday (May 17).
He said Umno and GRS have held numerous discussions over the matter, and there was no definite decision on the electoral pact yet.
Earlier in the event, Zahid said that many countries in the world have unity governments that exist and work, just like Malaysia’s federal unity government does currently.
He sees the possibility of a similar trend for Sabah in the upcoming state election, where no single party can solely form the government without collaborating with other parties, whether large or small.
Zahid said if the state and federal governments align, the people would benefit.
When asked to respond about the electoral pact with GRS, Bung smiled but declined to comment.
In his speech, Bung called GRS the worst government in Sabah’s history, stating that 99% of the current state government’s members and leaders were political frogs.
He said it was ridiculous that GRS was calling on the people to give them a second chance while neglecting to address the pressing issues faced by the state.
Bung stated that in the upcoming state election, the primary and sole objective is to win and form the state government along with Pakatan Harapan and some other parties that have yet to be determined.