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PETALING JAYA: With the Sabah coalition leaders at a standstill over the formation of a new state government, former Prime Minister Najib Razak has urged newly elected lawmakers to reconcile regardless of political ideology.
This was not the time to discuss or celebrate the victory, he said, after Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) won 38 seats by simple majority in the assembly.
However, the coalition leaders have not agreed on their candidate for the post of prime minister. It is understood that Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) nominated Bung Moktar Radin and Perikatan Nasional (PN) nominated Hajiji Noor.
Najib said that Sabah was currently in bad shape and there was a lot of work to do. “We have work to do and we must act fast to save Sabah,” he said in a Facebook post.
He said the transition to a new state administration should not be delayed any further.
Referring to the former Warisan-led ruling coalition, which has held power since 2018, Najib said that “for two consecutive years, the economy and development of Sabah stalled.” He added that many Sabahans had lost their jobs.
In yesterday’s state assembly elections, Warisan won 29 seats, PN 17, BN 14, PBS 3, independent candidates 3, PKR 2 and Upko 1.
However, the GRS coalition, made up of PN, BN and Parti Bersatu Sabah, declared victory after winning a total of 38 seats between them. One of the three independent candidates later announced its support for PN.
Warisan and his allies PKR and Upko have a total of 32 seats.
A simple 37-seat majority in the 73-member state assembly is required to form a state government.
