BEAUFORT: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) Chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor is confident the coalition will capture more than 40 seats in the 17th state election, securing a simple majority to form the State Government.
The caretaker Chief Minister attributed this optimism to strong public support for the GRS, driven by development delivered through the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ 1.0) roadmap.
“We (GRS) are contesting 55 seats and are confident of winning more than 40 ... a simple majority, God willing,” he said during a campaign event in Lumadan and Klias constituencies, here, Tuesday.
Hajiji, who is defending his Sulaman seat, predicted the GRS would retain the Lumadan and Klias constituencies, citing the outstanding performance of incumbents Datuk Ruslan Muharam and Datuk Isnin Aliasnih in addressing constituents’ concerns and bringing progress to their areas.
“We are confident Ruslan and Isnin will defend their respective constituencies and contribute seats to the GRS in this election,” he said.
Ruslan is confident that voters would back GRS following changes brought to the area, particularly the resolution of the three interlinked problems of water supply, flooding and road conditions, issues that had persisted for decades but were addressed during his term since the 16th state election.
Similarly, Klias candidate Isnin believes young voters would support GRS based on his track record, pointing to achievements including eliminating hardcore poverty in the constituency and providing housing assistance through the SMJ homes programme.
Hajiji said his administration had to take a firm stance against “cartels” attempting to manipulate and monopolise the mineral licence application process in Sabah.
He said the state government set up Sabah Mineral Management Sdn Bhd to oversee all mineral resources, and that all licence approvals were subject to a legitimate and transparent process.
Addressing the recent mining scandal, Hajiji said the licensing application process was equipped to detect any attempt at manipulation, with safeguards in place to flag irregular practices.
“We identified numerous irregularities during the submission of prospecting licence applications,” he said.
Hajiji said there were cases where applicants, working in collusion with senior government officials, used up to 10 different companies to secure licences.
One particular individual from West Malaysia had attempted to exploit the system, he said.
“He came here acting like he knew everything, and wanted to take advantage of us. That is not something we will allow.”Hajiji said all licence applications were vetted by a committee he chaired, which included the state secretary, the state attorney-general, the director of lands and surveys, and other relevant officers.
“If an application was improperly submitted, we would reject it.”He said certain quarters had sought to politicise the state government’s decision to reject “unreasonable” applications in an attempt to topple his administration.
“Various allegations were hurled, including that some were on the take,” he said, adding that many of the claims made were malicious and untrue.
Hajiji said much of the criticism levelled at his administration stemmed from prospecting licences that had already expired and, therefore, lapsed automatically.
He also chastised the denials made by those implicated in the scandal. “In court, they denied responsibility (for paying bribes). If so, which ghost paid them out?”Hajiji said that the public now understood the true motives behind the cartel’s narrative against his administration.
He said the state government’s priority was to ensure that Sabah’s minerals were protected from being exploited by those with vested interests.
“As a chief minister, I cannot allow this (manipulation) to happen. If I spot something that isn’t right, I won’t approve (the licence).
“My determination to eradicate these cartels isn’t political. It stems from my sense of duty towards the interests of the state and her people.”