KOTA KINABALU, Aug 20 — Sabah is exempted from the Umno central leadership’s rule against state chapters continuing their alliances with PAS and Bersatu in GE15, according to Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.

The Sabah Umno chief insisted that political alliance between Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah will carry over into the general election.

“Not Sabah,” he told reporters in a brief WhatsApp group message for his response to Umno’s no state autonomy rule on cross-party political alliances outside of BN.

Bung Moktar said Umno’s decision from its March general assembly last year does not affect Sabah, which formed an alliance with GRS last year, enabling them to win the state election.

Umno secretary general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan was previously reported saying Umno did not grant any autonomy to its state chapters or divisions to continue any political cooperation with PAS or Bersatu in GE15.

It was previously reported that Selangor Umno wished to be granted autonomy so it could continue to work with PAS under the Muafakat Nasional platform.

Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Noh Omar had reportedly said that cooperation between Umno and the Pas is considered good and more effective.

In Sabah, parties under BN, then Perikatan Nasional and other local based parties had come together under a loose alliance known as GRS to defeat the Warisan-led government in the Sept 2020 snap state election.

Although GRS registered as a legal coalition earlier this year, Sabah Umno is not part of it, as they were already registered under BN.

However, speculations continue whether Sabah Umno will maintain its working partnership with GRS as both parties have fallen out at the national level and there have been indications that both sides are preparing for a “free for all”.

Bung who is planning to field 14 out of the 25 federal seats in GE15 with Umno candidates today urged Sabah Umno members to think like winners.

“I have also said that to win, we have to do things like winners. If we take it lightly, then it will be hard to make our goal a reality,” he said during the Kinabatangan division meeting in Sandakan yesterday.