Lajim (seated middle) addressing the media together with Maijol (seated second left) and other party members.
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat) has submitted an application to join forces with the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
Its president Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin said the application has been sent to both the State and Central levels of Pakatan Harapan.
Lajim said that he has met with several Pakatan Harapan leaders (of the respective component parties) such as Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Gobind Singh Deo, among others, to discuss the matter.
“An application has been submitted to Tun Mahathir Mohamad on May 21,” Lajim told reporters after the chairing Harapan Rakyat’s Executive Committee meeting on Saturday.
Lajim said that his party came up with the decision after considering Pakatan Harapan’s direction on defending the rights of Sabahans in line with Malaysian Agreement 1963 (MA63), as announced by Mahathir recently.
“Harapan Rakyat is not doubtful of the the new government’s sincerity in fulfilling the interests and needs of Sabahans,” Lajim said.
Lajim had also expressed his party’s readiness to work with the new Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) government under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.
However, it is yet to be known whether Pakatan Harapan will officially accept Lajim’s party.
In order for the party to be accepted, a consensus between all the component parties of Pakatan Harapan; namely Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) and Amanah must be reached.
Lajim described the series of meetings he had with the Pakatan Harapan leaders had been ‘positive’.
Lajim had also revealed that he had joined the campaigns for Pakatan Harapan in the recent by-elections at Sungai Kandis and Seri Setia to exhibit his support for the party.
Also present in the meeting was Harapan Rakyat deputy president Datuk Maijol Mahap.