KOTA KINABALU: The state’s ruling coalition will be known as the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-Barisan Nasional (GRS-Barisan) government with immediate effect, says Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
He said he agreed with the suggestion by Sabah Umno chairman Datuk Bung Moktar Radin that Barisan should be included to reflect the real composition of the parties in the government.
He added that Barisan is part of the state government coalition and this should be reflected in its name.
“The name GRS-Barisan government will be used with immediate effect,” he told reporters after a working visit to Tuaran district here yesterday.
According to Hajiji, who is GRS chairman, Bung’s proposal was a good one as the state government is made up of GRS and Barisan.
“Even though Barisan is another coalition and not part of GRS, we still agreed on cooperating before the state election in September 2020. When we won the election, we formed the government with Barisan,” he added.
GRS, which has since been registered as a formal coalition, comprises Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Sabah chapter) led by Hajiji, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) led by Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, Sabah STAR led by Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) led by Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee.
Prior to the state election, Barisan parties together with Sabah Perikatan Nasional (Sabah Bersatu, Sabah STAR, SAPP and PAS) and PBS formed an informal coalition of nine parties that toppled the Warisan-led state government of Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.
But following the registration of GRS earlier this month with four of the parties joining the new state-based coalition, Barisan stayed out, explaining that Barisan is a coalition in itself.
On Friday, Bung said that it would only be fair to describe the Sabah government as the GRS-Barisan coalition.
He asked the ruling state government to be renamed as the GRS-Barisan government, saying that it was “not fair not to mention Barisan as we are part of the government”.