Bung Moktar (centre) presented a mock cheque to a former football player, Mahmood Kalong, during the launch of BMR Cup under-18 tournament at Likas Sports Complex on Saturday.
KOTA KINABALU (Nov 27): Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin does not seem to be in line with Usukan state assemblyman Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak who wants the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to be registered as a coalition of political parties.
Bung Moktar said that he will need to view the proposal to see any pros and cons if the coalition is registered.
“Maybe that is his (Salleh’s) personal view, but on behalf of Sabah Umno, we are ready to discuss and study the proposal,” he said at a press conference after launching Datuk Seri Panglima Bung Moktar Radin (BMR) Cup under-18 tournament at Likas Sports Complex on Saturday.
The Deputy Chief Minister added that whether registering GRS was to avoid clashes in the next election or not, the matter would be studied and discussed.
“There are views that I cannot ‘catch up’ but we will be careful and discuss this proposal for the better,” he said.
On October 4, the Sabah Umno Liaison Chairman stated the readiness of Sabah Umno to clash with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in the 15th General Election (GE15).
He said the move was in line with the statement of Umno President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who wants the party to defend all the seats they won under the BN-Umno umbrella during the last general election.
On Thursday, Salleh, who is also the chairman of the GRS Backbenchers, suggested that GRS be officially registered as a coalition political party following seat clashes between BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN) at the recent Melaka state election.
He explained that the Melaka state election gave clear indications for GRS political leaders to sit at the same table and discuss actions to strengthen GRS.
GRS was formed after the 2020 Sabah state election, involving a coalition of BN, Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).