PAPAR: Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) has refuted claims that the state is being used as a testing ground for its alliance with Pakatan Harapan (PH) ahead of upcoming elections. BN Sabah chairman, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, clarified that the BN-PH partnership isn’t new, as it has already been seen in several by-elections in Peninsular Malaysia.
Bung Moktar stated that this cooperation would now extend to the upcoming Sabah state election as part of a mutual understanding aimed at maintaining a stable government. “This is a shared understanding for stability, wherever it applies. So, it’s unlikely that Umno BN and PH would clash in Sabah,” he said during the Sabah Umno Gerak 17 Programme in Pantai Manis.
His comments came in response to remarks by Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) secretary-general, Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who recently opposed the notion of Sabah being a testing ground for political cooperation. Bung Moktar further explained that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s previous comments about Sabah being a “testing ground” referred to a strategic approach for future elections, with no intent to offend Sabahans.
