United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) president Pandikar Amin Mulia has expressed support for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s (GRS) decision to form an electoral alliance with Pakatan Harapan (PH) for the upcoming state election.
Pandikar said his backing for the coalition’s chairman, Hajiji Noor, hinged on the condition that the arrangement would be advantageous to GRS, particularly in ensuring that seat allocations remain in the coalition’s favour. Usno is one of the component parties of GRS.
According to The Star, Hajiji had assured Pandikar that GRS would contest in more than 50 of the 73 state assembly seats.
“To me, this stance aligns with GRS’s rallying cry, ‘Rumah Kita, Kita Jaga’ (We protect our own house),” Pandikar was quoted as saying.
Pandikar also clarified his shift from an earlier position this year, when he had indicated that Usno might consider contesting independently if the party continued to feel sidelined within GRS.
Previously, he and other GRS component leaders — Jeffrey Kitingan of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) and Yong Teck Lee of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) — had advocated for GRS to contest the election without forming alliances.
“I admit that I echoed Datuk Dr Jeffrey’s sentiment at the time, saying that anyone working with Peninsular parties were traitors,” he said.
Pandikar noted that tensions arose when Usno’s requests for seats in the state election were dismissed by some GRS leaders. These concerns subsequently prompted Hajiji to convene a meeting with presidents of other GRS component parties, including Parti Bersatu Sabah, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah, the Liberal Democratic Party, and Parti Cinta Sabah.
Hajiji also serves as president of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat).
