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THE ongoing feud between Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Parti Warisan (Warisan) over credit for various development projects has been described as “cheap political theatre” in the run-up to the 17th Sabah state election (PRN17).
Beaufort UMNO Division Chief Datuk Awang Aslee said voters were being subjected to an unproductive squabble between two parties that were both trying to claim credit for projects implemented in the state.
“The real question is not who carried out the projects, but who actually has the people’s mandate to govern Sabah. The answer is simple: neither GRS nor Warisan ever received that mandate,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
“The former Warisan government was not formed through the people’s voice at the ballot box but through the defection of six state assemblymen – a betrayal of democratic principles.
“GRS, on the other hand, was not born out of popular mandate but from political manoeuvring after UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) withdrew their support for its chairman. It was not a show of people’s strength but a coalition of convenience aimed at retaining power.”
Awang said that after years of governing without a clear mandate, both sides remain preoccupied with claiming credit while ordinary Sabahans continue to suffer.
“Roads remain in disrepair, water and electricity supplies are unstable, and the cost of living keeps rising, yet these politicians seem more eager to see their names on project signboards than to fulfil their responsibilities to the people,” he said.
“This is the politics of a ‘government without mandate’ – loud in the media but powerless on the ground. They compete to appear as saviours when, in truth, both have failed to restore the people’s trust in Sabah.”
He added that BN would not resort to such politics, asserting that under its previous administrations, development was not a slogan but a tangible outcome of genuine electoral support.
“BN was not born from defections, does not survive on the goodwill of temporary coalitions, and never used development projects as political propaganda,” he said.
“Sabah needs leaders who are brave enough to return to the true essence of democracy – a government that arises from the people’s mandate, not from narrow political manoeuvres.
“In the end, GRS and Warisan may continue to fight for credit on project signboards, but what will endure in the hearts of the people is who truly fulfilled their trust – and history shows that only BN has ever done so,” Awang said. - October 26, 2025