KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) will remain true to its principles after having expressed commitment to cooperate with Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor as the Chief Minister until the State Assembly’s term expires in 2025.
Sabah PH Chairperson Datuk Christina Liew stressed that the coalition would not “buy” whatever that is offered to them.
“We still need to put in our principles – right is right, and wrong is wrong,” she said when met after a Social Security Organisation (Socso)’s programme, here, Thursday.
“If there is anything that is not appropriate, we will raise it up with the Government… that is the role that we can play.”
On Nov. 25, Upko president-designate Datuk Ewon Benedick said all the seven assemblymen from Sabah PH had expressed their support for Hajiji as the Chief Minister.
This came in the wake of rumours that a plot was being hatched by two other parties that stood to gain by collaborating and pushing for a no-confidence vote against Hajiji in the State Assembly meeting because Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) which Hajiji heads had yet to pledge support for the Pakatan Harapan-led Unity Government of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The two parties concerned would have succeeded if the seven Pakatan assembly members had not pledged to stick with Hajiji. Anwar, himself, later said that GRS was part of the Unity Government.
Meanwhile, Liew is all for Ewon’s suggestion for the inclusion of Sabah PH in the Sabah Government.
“I agree with what Ewon has suggested as at the Federal-level, we are part and parcel of the Unity Government.
“So, we hope this too will apply at the State-level, but on how we are going to incorporate the Unity Government concept in the State is up to the top leaders to negotiate,” she said.
“PH itself has four component parties – PKR, DAP, Amanah and Upko. I think we have to sit down first and discuss.
“And then, we have to discuss with the Government about it. I think this would be the right direction that we should be heading.”
Recently, Ewon expressed hope that Sabah PH assemblymen and leaders can be made a part of the Sabah Government.
To this end, he hoped the Sabah Government led GRS and Barisan Nasional BN could work out a mechanism to realise this.
— Ricardo Unto
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