KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah State Legislative Assembly has been officially dissolved today to make way for the 17th Sabah State Election.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor made the announcement at a press conference after attending a lunch meeting with state leaders and backbenchers at Menara Kinabalu.
Hajiji, who is also the chairman of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), said the dissolution was consented to by Sabah Governor Tun Musa Aman during their meeting this morning.
Present at the press conference were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam, who is also acting President of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), along with other members of the state Cabinet.
Also in attendance were leaders of GRS component parties, including Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, president of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO).
United were Datuk Chin Su Phin, president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and Tan Sri Liew Yun Fah, president of Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat).
Tan Sri Anifah Aman, president of Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS), also attended the press conference.
Joining them were Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman and United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) president Datuk Ewon Benedick.
Other PH leaders present included Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe.
The Sabah State Assembly consists of 79 seats, 73 of which are elected, while six are appointed members.
In the 16th State Election held in 2020, GRS, which was then aligned with Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN), PBS, and independent assemblymen, secured 41 out of the 73 contested seats.
Warisan won 23 seats while PH secured nine in that election.
GRS was formally registered in March 2022, comprising Bersatu, PBS, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).
BN and PAS were not part of the coalition at that time.
However, in November 2022, Hajiji and other Bersatu leaders left the party and formed Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat).
This development led to Bersatu being removed from GRS.
The GRS coalition has confirmed that Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) will contest the upcoming State Election using their respective party logos instead of the common GRS emblem.
GRS secretary-general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun announced this development last Thursday, stating that both parties are consequently no longer considered part of the coalition.
This decision aligns with GRS’s established ruling that all component parties must contest under a single common symbol during elections.
The current GRS coalition now comprises Gagasan Rakyat, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Harapan Rakyat, and Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS).
The ruling coalition currently holds 42 seats in the 79-member Sabah State Legislative Assembly.
The opposition bloc consists of Parti Warisan with 14 seats, Barisan Nasional (BN) with 12 seats, Pakatan Harapan (PH) with seven seats, Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat with two seats, and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) with one seat.
One seat, Sungai Sibuga, remains vacant following the death of its incumbent assemblyman Datuk Mohamad Hamsan Awang Supain from BN in January.
The political landscape shifted in January 2023 when BN withdrew its support for the GRS-led state government.
Pakatan Harapan subsequently stepped in to provide support, enabling Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s administration to remain intact. – Bernama
