Kota Kinabalu: THE year saw Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) become a truly all-Sabah coalition when leaders of its National-based Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) component, including 14 assemblymen and four Members of Parliament (MPs) elected under GRS ticket, left the party enbloc on Dec 10 but remained under GRS.
Among others, this also pleased Sarawak which felt that for the 57-strong Borneo Bloc to be effective in parliament to have no ruling party in both Borneo states to have a peninsula connection.
The move led by Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor who was Bersatu Sabah Chief, was applauded by the people of Sabah who have been wanting to see GRS be an all-Sabah political coalition. It finally silenced critics who had been labelling the coalition as not truly local-based due to the presence of Bersatu that was fathered by Perikatan Nasional.