KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno is caught in a tricky position as it has to weigh on how it will work with their allies in Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), particularly Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia in the 15th General Election.

       Sabah Umno chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin (pic) said that it would be critical for Umno and Barisan Nasional in the next election because the state Umno was working with Bersatu that was no longer working with Umno at the national level.

       "Definitely, people see Sabah as a critical state as Sabah Umno was working with parties that were no longer in the same direction as Umno-Bersatu at the central level.

       "It is certain that they will not be working together in any way at the national level," he told reporters here after meeting with state Umno leaders on Friday (March 25).

       He said that Sabah Umno would abide by the decision of the central Umno on the direction of their relations with the state Bersatu and GRS in preparation for GE15.

       He said Sabah Umno would be meeting with Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Monday to get his views on the matter before making a decision on the best direction Sabah Umno and Barisan will take for the election.

       However, he said Sabah Umno would also discuss with GRS partners on the direction for the parliamentary elections but stressed that Sabah Umno/Barisan's autonomy was for state matters and the state body has no autonomy on decisions for GE15.

       In Sabah, he said that with the registration of the GRS coalition with four parties - Sabah Bersatu, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Sabah STAR and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) - has already changed the structure of the state coalition.

       Previously, a loose nine-party unregistered GRS coalition involving Sabah Perikatan Nasional, Sabah Barisan Nasional and PBS was formed ahead of the September 2020 snap state elections. GRS won the state election.

       Bung said with the registration, the structure has changed and the current government should not be called GRS government, instead it should be called the GRS-Barisan state government.

       "It is not fair to Barisan. The coalition should now be known as GRS-Barisan coalition as Barisan is part of the Sabah coalition," he said, adding that he had conveyed his view to the leaders of GRS led by Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.

       He said Barisan as a coalition could not join another coalition and that was the reason they did not join GRS.

       Bung believes that Sabah Perikatan no longer existed with Sabah Bersatu, Sabah STAR and SAPP joining GRS while only Sabah PAS was not included for the GRS coalition.

       On whether Sabah Barisan would talk with opposition Parti Warisan led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, Bung said that politics is dynamic, anything can happen.

       He said Shafie himself had talked about it, but so far, there has been no formal talks with Warisan.

       "We are open (to talks) but we give priority to GRS," he said, adding that Umno was looking at people's choice for candidates and not what the party wants.