KOTA KINABALU, Aug 29 — All parties working with the ruling party should contest under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) logo, said deputy chief minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan.

Kitingan, who is also GRS deputy chairman said that any national parties who agree to work with the local coalition heading into the state elections should contest under the GRS flag.

“It would show how united we are,” he said.

Kitingan, who is president of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku, was asked to comment on Usno president Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia who said GRS should contest all 73 seats and urged peninsula-based parties to sit out the Sabah polls.

“I think what he means is everybody should contest under GRS, whether you are Pakatan or whatever ...we use only one logo,” he said after attending the Ceramah Perdana Hari Sabah here today.

“This is better, isn’t it?”

He said it would not be the first time DAP had previously contested under Parti Warisan’s banner in the 2020 Sabah state elections.

In the 2018 general election, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia had also contested under the PKR flag.

“So, nothing wrong. I think it’s more important that we are seen as one bloc,” he said.

Pandikar was reported saying that GRS should be given the prerogative to contest all 73 state seats while its national counterparts sit out in the upcoming state elections due by September 2025.

He said it would not change its support for the government as they were not gunning for the prime minister post.

The former Dewan Rakyat speaker had said that three of the eight GRS component parties were in favour of going all in for the 73 state seats up for grabs in the polls.

Besides Usno, he said STAR and Sabah Progressive Party were united in their stance.

The GRS and PH coalition currently forms the state government, but has not formalised its intentions to go into the state elections together. Both have said that they are keeping their options open.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/08/29/sabah-polls-parties-should-contest-under-one-grs-logo-in-show-of-unity-says-jeffrey-kitingan/148623