KOTA KINABALU, Nov 17 — Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Sabah STAR) president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan today said that his party and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) must agree on several issues and find their common ground before they can decide whether merging would be the best course of action.

He said that a merger would be the ultimate goal but would take time.

"That is the ultimate objective (a merger), however, there are processes to be followed and we will take it step by step.

"There is no deadline,” he said when asked by reporters after officiating a pet exhibition here today.

When asked whether they would include other KDM-based parties in their uniting effort, Kitingan said they were open to all.

"There are many parties and Sabah has one of the most so, it would benefit grassroots supporters if they find a way to unite,” he said.

"After all we are just fighting for the people. We need to find a way to unite. If we are not united, people will say ‘you want us to unite, but you yourselves are not united’,” he said.

Yesterday the two parties issued a joint statement announcing that they have begun talks to start working together to benefit the community and the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah state government which they are aligned to.

The delegation will be represented by their secretaries-general Datuk Julita Majungki (PBS) and Datuk Edward Linggu (Sabah STAR).

Kitingan had first proposed a merger, but the recent PBS congress has been reluctant to commit to the concept, instead suggesting they work together first.

In the past, the two parties have clashed over rivalries but still remain on the same side.