KOTA KINABALU: Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS), led by Senator Tan Sri Anifah Aman, has been accepted into the ruling state Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition government.
In a statement Wednesday (May 22), GRS secretary-general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said that PCS was accepted as the eighth party in the coalition with the unanimous agreement of all other party presidents.
He said that PCS was a local party, and its entry into the state coalition would further strengthen political solidarity and unity in Sabah.
"We believe that with the strengthened cooperation, we will be able to work together to develop Sabah and face various challenges," Masidi said, adding that GRS hopes to get the united support of the people in Sabah.
The other parties in GRS are Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) led by Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) led by Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, Sabah STAR led by Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) under Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, Usno led by Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Datuk Chin Su Phin and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat) by Tan Sri Liew Yun Fah.
In a statement, Anifah expressed gratitude to GRS chairman Hajiji and all coalition leaders for accepting PCS into the GRS family.
"As the saying goes, a family that eats together stays together. On this common table, PCS shares the same vision and mission with the GRS for Sabah and the people.
"After all, we are a local Sabah party and naturally, we see our home in GRS which is a truly local entity that Sabahans have long envisioned for," he said.
He said that the PCS struggle was to champion Sabah’s rights and the best interests of the state and the people.
"For this, we share the GRS “Sabah First” core, which is a two-pronged approach that puts the rights and interests of Sabah as the top priorities and places importance on the various developments needed in Sabah," he added.
Anifah said that PCS shared GRS's commitment to strengthening Sabah’s push for local agendas on the national, regional, and international levels.
"It is our bigger responsibility to place the fight for the state’s interests as our number one priority," said Anifah, who took over the PCS leadership four years ago.
The party contested all 73 state seats in the September 2020 snap state elections but did not win any seats.
Anifah said PCS has been a relatively new party since he took over, but it has grown in strength.
"Our party leaders and members are people from all walks of life, all of whom are driven by a genuine love for our beloved Sabah, hence the name of our party," he said, adding that their experience would help Sabah.
