KOTA KINABALU, June 19 — All quarters should give sufficient space to the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to consider the entry of local parties in Sabah into the coalition.

Its chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said GRS was scrutinising the matter carefully before deciding whether to accept membership of the parties concerned.

"We have a plan in place in GRS, on the sharing of opportunities, but we will not simply (admit any party)," he told reporters after officiating the 2022 Sabah Cocoa Festival here today.

Hajiji, who is also Sabah Chief Minister, said GRS also had its own way of uniting local parties in Sabah to ensure that all could sit at the same table to develop the state.

Yesterday, United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) vice-president Datuk Ewon Benedick questioned GRS's 'talk' of wanting to unite all local political parties in Sabah, but then did not accept membership of the Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

GRS is comprised of Bersatu Sabah, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) which collaborates with Barisan Nasional (BN) to govern Sabah. — Bernama