KOTA KINABALU, July 1 – Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in Sabah is hiding its waning support behind the “Gabungan Rakyat Sabah” (GRS) flag, said former BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Ahead of the Sabah BN convention here, the former prime minister claimed that Bersatu has been on the decline while BN has been gaining more momentum in Peninsular Malaysia, which is why the state former has been using the GRS brand and not Bersatu.
“Looks like Bersatu here is not as strong because instead of selling “Bersatu’, they are selling ‘GRS’. In West Malaysia, PAS is also using its own logo and not Perikatan Nasional’s logo.
“You can see that the individual parties are losing their own strength – that includes Warisan — so when you compare the parties, BN has an advantage,” he said.
Asked to comment on the existing relations between GRS and BN in the state. BN has declined to officially be part of the GRS coalition as they are part of the BN coalition. They however continue to be allies and form the state government.
“What happens in Sabah largely depends on what's going to happen in West Malaysia. The winds seem to be in BN's favour as people say BN has the best chance of forming a government when the time comes.
"However, in the Sabah context, we have to show that BN is not a 'Peninsula party' – it's helmed by Sabahans under a bigger umbrella, which is stronger. That’s what we have to ingrain in Sabahans,” he said.
When asked whether Sabah BN would be heading into the next election on its own, Najib said that he hopedsthat BN will get to contest most of the seats.
“Majority will go to the BN. We just need the right strategy and find capable leaders,” he said.
Both BN and GRS leaders here have expressed optimism about their working relationship heading into GE15, and that they would be able to come to an agreement on seat allocation.
The GRS-BN government has remained intact so far despite the fallout at the national level.
