KOTA KINABALU: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is upbeat on its chances of being accepted into the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state coalition.

       Party president Datuk Chin Su Phin said Chief Minister and GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor had indicated to him that the party would be made a GRS member.

       “Yes it’s (looking) very positive. In fact the Chief Minister has already promised me they will accept us. It’s just a matter of time now,” he told a press conference in Sandakan on Sunday (June 12).

       Apart from LDP, a former Barisan Nasional component, Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat led by former Warisan vice-president Datuk Peter Anthony, Parti Cinta Sabah led by former foreign minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah led by Tan Sri Liew Yun Fah are also waiting to be accepted as GRS members.

       LDP was one of eight Barisan component parties in Sabah which contested in the 14th General Election (GE14) in May 2018 and along with other Sabah-based parties such as Parti Bersatu Sabah and Upko, it left after the coalition's defeat.

       LDP lost in all the five seats – one parliamentary and four state – it contested then. In the September 2020 Sabah polls, the party tried to make a comeback by going it alone and fielded 46 candidates, including former chief minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat, but did not win a single seat.

       Its application to join Perikatan Nasional was also rejected in October.

       Chin said LDP was keen to join GRS as it believed an alliance of local-based parties would give Sabah the needed unity in seeking what is owed to the state by Putrajaya under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

       He said this would be similar to the situation in neighbouring Sarawak, where the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is made up of only local parties.

       “So I hope Sabahans will realise that we need to be united in a local coalition, which is GRS, to be able to (bring about) change," he said.