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PARTI Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) would not be joining Gerakan Bersatu Sabah.
The KDM deputy president Datuk Wetrom Bahanda said there had been no discussions whatsoever with the Star president or any other political leader about joining the proposed Gerakan Bersatu Sabah (GBS) coalition.
“It’s not true that KDM will be part of GBS. I’ve never discussed this matter with anyone, including Datuk Jeffrey,” Wetrom said.
He stressed that KDM’s position remains unchanged, the party will contest solo in the coming Sabah state election, scheduled for November 29.
KDM has announced plans to contest in 38 seats in the state election.
“Our grassroots have made it clear that they want KDM to go it alone. There’s no way we would turn our backs on that.
“Once again, I want to emphasise that KDM, as a local party, will move independently in this election,” he said in a statement in Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday.
Wetrom’s remarks come after a news portal reported that a new bloc under the working title Gerakan Bersatu Sabah was taking shape.
The alliance is said to involve two former Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) components, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Jeffrey’s STAR, with plans to launch just days before nomination on November 15.
Jeffrey had told reporters that talks were underway with several local party leaders keen to be part of the bloc.
Among those he was said to be courting was KDM, though he admitted the party’s earlier announcement to field 38 candidates could complicate negotiations.
“I’m not sure if they will be part of GBS. I noticed they’ve already announced a lot of candidates, and that might make cooperation difficult.
“We’ve had positive discussions, but nothing has been finalised,” Jeffrey was quoted as saying. - October 21, 2025