Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says the Madani government fully respects the strong and clear message sent by voters in the 17th Sabah state election.
He said voters were clearly calling for genuine change after years of injustice and neglect by almost all parties, whether from peninsular Malaysia or Sabah itself.
Anwar also extended his congratulations to Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor on his renewed mandate to form the state government.
In a Facebook post, Anwar said that over the past three years, the federal government had worked to address longstanding issues, including claims and rights affecting Sabah’s interests, and that several advances had been made in that short period regarding the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
He said the government would continue steadfastly on this path of reform, with the aim of building a Sabah that is fair, equitable and prosperous, and no longer marginalised.
“The voice of the people of Sabah is a trust that must be upheld with the utmost responsibility,” he said.
Hajiji, who chairs Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), took his oath of office before Yang di-Pertua Negeri Musa Aman at Istana Seri Kinabalu.
In the election, GRS under Hajiji won 29 of the 55 seats it contested. Hajiji retained Sulaman after polling 10,639 votes, defeating four other contenders.
Parti Warisan secured 25 seats, followed by Barisan Nasional with six. Independent candidates won five seats, United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation took three, Star Sabah two, while Perikatan Nasional, Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat and Pakatan Harapan claimed one seat each.
A total of 1,148,476 voters cast their ballots, representing a turnout of 64.35%.
