KOTA KINABALU, July 17 — Sabah Umno will iron out the terms before joining forces with other parties in the next state election, said state Umno chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
The Kinabatangan MP said from his previous experience, Umno needs to be more cautious in choosing the right coalition partners to work with.
“We have gone through that before, making the agreement after the last state election to form the government,” he said in a statement here.
“However, after the government was formed, Umno was sidelined even though Umno won more seats compared to other parties.”
He added that this experience should be a lesson and any form of cooperation for the upcoming state election should be made before the election takes place.
Bung, who is also an Umno Supreme Council member, acknowledged that in the upcoming state election, no party can form the government without partnership with other parties.
But he said Sabah Umno will be more cautious and will only collaborate with parties that respect the signed agreements.
“We will cooperate with political parties that respect mutual agreements and benefit Umno and Sabah.
“We will also look for partners who have loyalty and sincerity in carrying out responsibilities as partners to fight for the welfare of the people of Sabah.
“We no longer want internal crises that will hinder efforts to develop Sabah,” he said.
Bung, who is also state Barisan Nasional chairman, had fallen out with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah government after the coalition won the snap state election in 2020 together.
He blamed the falling out on broken promises from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s chief minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The 17th state election is expected to be held next year, but the many political changes since the 2020 election has left much confusion about who will be allies next.
