Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) must soon hold discussions to address the status of their 2024 memorandum of understanding (MoU) following STAR’s departure from the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition, said PBS information chief Joniston Bangkuai.
The MoU, signed on April 18, 2024, by STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan and PBS acting president Joachim Gunsalam, remains binding until both parties mutually agree to suspend or dissolve it.
Bangkuai emphasized the importance of revisiting the agreement, noting that one of its primary objectives was to strengthen the GRS coalition, of which STAR was a key component.
“Clause 5 of the MoU states that it shall be binding on both parties until they have mutually agreed to suspend and/or dissolve the same,” he told FMT. “A meeting between both parties needs to be called to address this.”
Context of the MoU
The 2024 MoU, endorsed by GRS chairman and Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, aimed to ensure that PBS and STAR, both rooted in the Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) community, would avoid electoral clashes in the upcoming Sabah state election. Signed by Kitingan and Gunsalam, both deputy chief ministers, the agreement was designed to foster unity and bolster GRS’s cohesion. However, STAR’s exit from GRS has raised questions about the MoU’s relevance and future.
STAR’s Departure from GRS
Earlier today, GRS confirmed that STAR, along with the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), had left the coalition due to disagreements over GRS’s electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan (PH).
STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan, advocating for GRS to contest the state election independently, cited strong grassroots sentiment as the basis for his stance.
The decision to exit, formalized during a GRS presidential council meeting last night, marks a significant shift in Sabah’s political landscape.
