KOTA KINABALU: Sabah STAR is keeping its doors open to electoral cooperation working with local parties including opposition Parti Warisan to strengthen unity in the state, its president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said.
“We are open to working with any local party. If we want to treat Sabah as our home, we must remain consistent and collaborate with everyone.
“Unity is duty. That is the only way forward, just like Sarawak,” he told reporters Sunday (Jan 12) when asked about the possibility of working with Warisan led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
His reiteration to be open to talks with Warisan comes after the local opposition party said that they were prepared to work with Sabah STAR and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) both component parties of the state's ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
However, two senior Warisan leaders, its vice-president Terrence Siambun and information chief Datuk Azis Jamman said that they were ready to work with the two GRS parties but not with GRS's anchor party Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) who party assemblymen are under probe for alleged corruption linked to a mining video scandal.
The GRS deputy chairman did not rule out possible cooperation with Warisan, though GRS secretary-general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun claimed that both PBS and Sabah STAR were not interested in working with Warisan.
Kitingan said that all Sabah leaders must view the state as their home and move forward through unity, like Sarawak's local-based coalition Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
Kitingan, who was talking to reporters during a Chinese New Year walkabout in Luyang here, reiterated that national-based parties in Sabah were undermining Sabah’s autonomy under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Kitingan, who is Deputy Chief Minister I, also told reporters that his interior-based Sabah STAR was prepared to contest and added that Sabah STAR is prepared to contest in any constituency, including Chinese-majority areas, if voters support them.
“STAR is a party for all Sabahans. If Chinese voters back us, we’ll be there,” he said.
When asked whether STAR was contesting in Luyang after members were seen conducting a Chinese New Year walkabout, he said that the walkabout was to introduce the party to the community.
“We are not doing this because we want to contest for the Luyang seat. We do this to get closer to the people so they can understand who we are.
“When the time comes and if they need us, we are ready to represent them. If the people support us in any part of Sabah, including Chinese-majority areas, we will respond," Kitingan, whose party has six interior state seats, said.
Luyang is held by Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe who is part of the current GRS-Pakatan Harapan state coalition government.
