KOTA KINABALU: Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) will hold its first annual general meeting (AGM) this Nov 26, some nine months after Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor took over the party’s helm.
“But there will not be any party election,” said Gagasan Rakyat information chief Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan to reporters after the party’s supreme council meeting at its Alamesra headquarters in Likas here on Friday (June 23).
The three-hour meeting from 2pm was chaired by Hajiji who is the Gagasan Rakyat president.
Nizam, who is also Apas assemblyman, said the AGM for the women, youth and beliawanis (young women) wings will be held the day before (Nov 25).
Prior to that, he said, the party’s 4,976 branches will have their meetings from July 17 to Aug 31 while the 73 divisions will have theirs from Sept 23 to Oct 15.
“All 73 divisions are intact with their heads and committees including all the respective wings.
“So far, the response from Sabahans has been positive and many more have or are applying to join as Gagasan Rakyat members,” he said.
Nizam said Gagasan Rakyat, the anchor party of the ruling state coalition, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), now has almost 300,000 members.
The Apas division chief added that to his knowledge, most of the 73 divisions are led by Gagasan Rakyat assemblymen.
Hajiji, the former Sabah Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia chief, officially took over Gagasan Rakyat, which contested in previous elections with lesser-known politicians, last Feb 5.
Hajiji led an exodus of 14 Sabah Bersatu assemblymen as well as other leaders and members from the party last Dec 10.
Meanwhile, Nizam said Gagasan Rakyat fully supported the unity government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the party was also committed to the GRS Plus unity government’s resolve in addressing legacy problems inherited from previous governments such as the water supply, electricity and road issues, among others.
“Gagasan Rakyat is also fully behind the GRS Plus government’s efforts to reclaim the people’s and state rights as enshrined under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and Federal Constitution,” he said.
Besides Gagasan Rakyat, other parties in the seven-party GRS are Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah STAR, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), United Sabah National Organisation (Usno), Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat) and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
