KOTA KINABALU: Sabah STAR and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) are in no rush to form a merger but are definitely working towards achieving this objective, said Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
The STAR president said ongoing talks and discussions are being held between leaders of these two major native-based political parties, as they find common objectives and concerns to strengthen the existing relations and understanding.
“What we need to do is to strengthen our relationship and understanding, what are the common objectives, concerns, etc, and then move to the next stage,” he said during a press conference at a Pet Kingdom exhibition here, Friday (Nov 17).
Asked if this ongoing discussion will lead to a merger between STAR and PBS, the Deputy Chief Minister said that would be the ultimate objective.
However, there are processes to be followed and they will take it step by step, said Kitingan
“There is no deadline,” he said, adding that both STAR and PBS are open to other KDM-based parties to join them in this initiative.
This is because there are too many parties in Sabah and it would benefit grassroots supporters if they find a way to unite.
“After all we are just fighting for the people. We need to find a way to unite.
“Because if we are not united, people will say ‘you want us to unite, but you are not united’,” he said.
On Thursday (Nov 16), secretaries-general Datuk Julita Majungki (PBS) and Datuk Edward Linggu (Sabah STAR) said official discussions would be held in response to calls from the grassroots to foster strong and sustainable cooperation and to increase support for and strengthen Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS).
In July, Kitingan had suggested a merger, but the recent PBS congress proposed working together instead.
