KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin remains cautious about overtures from national party boss Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for forming a coalition with other parties in the upcoming election.
Bung, the Sabah Umno chairman, who has been openly against any reconciliation with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, reiterated his stance on avoiding past mistakes.
He stated that Sabah Barisan-Umno is now in a position of strength and is not in a rush to form an electoral pact with any coalition or party for the coming election.
Bung made these comments on Tuesday (Feb 25) after Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi called on Sabah Umno to be open-minded about potential alliances to ensure stability at both state and national levels.
Ahmad Zahid expressed optimism in Kota Kinabalu on Monday (Feb 24) about Sabah Barisan-Umno cooperating with other political parties, indicating there is "light at the end of the tunnel" for inter-party cooperation within the federal unity government.
In a statement later on Tuesday (Feb 25), Bung said that Sabah Umno is always "open-minded" about the party's future direction, having recovered from challenges faced after losing the state government in the 2018 general election and the subsequent exodus of leaders led by Hajiji.
"Today, Sabah Umno stands firmly on the right track. As a party rooted in Sabah for a long time, we have the right to choose our allies."
"But before deciding on any political cooperation, our priority is to strengthen the party machinery at all levels."
"We must ensure that Sabah Umno is strong, as any party joining us will see Umno as the main leader in the state's political landscape," he said.
He noted that Ahmad Zahid, at the 34th Sabah Umno gathering in Tawau on Sunday, emphasised the importance of Umno and Sabah Barisan becoming a dominant political force in the upcoming election.
"Zahid Hamidi also reminded us not to be swayed by the sweet promises of certain parties seeking cooperation that could ultimately harm Sabah Umno," Bung said.
Bung indicated that Sabah Umno has formulated its own strategy and has a strong team to face any political situation based on past experiences.
"We don't need to rush to find a coalition partner because Umno is not a weak party," he said.
Recently, the majority of the 25 Sabah Umno divisions have voiced opposition to reuniting with GRS after Sabah Umno, led by Bung, left the GRS coalition government in Jan 2023, citing unfulfilled promises.
Several top leaders of the eight-party GRS have also expressed disinterest in forming an electoral pact with Sabah Barisan.
However, Hajiji, who is keen to work with Sabah Pakatan, has hinted that former defectors from Barisan could be part of the GRS-Pakatan-Plus formula.
Local political circles suggest that Pakatan chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who heads the federal unity government, is keen on an electoral pact involving GRS-Pakatan-Barisan for the state election.
Other major Sabah-based parties, part of the federal unity government but in opposition at the state level, include Parti Warisan led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Parti KDM led by Datuk Peter Anthony.
Political observers in Sabah predict a free-for-all scenario amid a fluid and conflicting political landscape, even within the ruling GRS-Pakatan state government.
They believe that state and national interests will shape or break potential alliances.
