Kota Kinabalu: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has called on Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to steer clear of any electoral alliance with Barisan Nasional-Umno in the coming 17th state election.
LDP president Datuk Chin Su Phin pointed out the importance of maintaining good relations with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, regardless of the state election outcome.
“It is imperative that the coalition or party that wins has an amicable relationship with its federal counterparts,” Chin said following a unanimous decision by the LDP Supreme Council, Sunday.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});He said the GRS is likely to negotiate seat distribution with PH for the state polls, but pointed out that the federal coalition must have genuine commitment to working with GRS. He suggested PH limit itself to contesting no more than 20 seats.
Chin said that if negotiations fail, both coalitions may contest independently in a friendly match with government formation discussions taking place post-election.
He expressed particular concern about DAP’s ambitions to contest six to eight Chinese-majority seats, saying this could squeeze out Chinese-based component parties within GRS.
Addressing Chinese voters specifically, Chin cautioned against supporting Parti Warisan despite strong local party sentiment in Chinese-majority constituencies.
He said Warisan’s limited appeal beyond Chinese voters particularly among the Kadazandusun community and in Malay seats makes it unlikely to form government even if it wins all six Chinese-majority seats.
“If Warisan fails to form the State Government, Chinese voters will inevitably be labelled as the opposition,” he said, urging the community to exercise wisdom in their voting decisions.
He called for continued GRS governance, citing political stability and economic growth under the current administration, adding that the government changes typically result in policy shifts that deter investment and hinder economic progress for two to three years.
The LDP Supreme Council also approved a motion to freeze the Pantai Manis division during the meeting.