KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) will contest under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition in the 17th state election due by next September, says Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee.

The party president added that SAPP - a member of the opposition Perikatan Nasional coalition at the national level - would not contest on a Perikatan ticket.

Yong then said that SAPP was asking for Perikatan to stay out of the state election, adding that this was in line with the call for national parties not to get involved.

“We (SAPP) are still a ‘member’ of Perikatan. I know they are not happy with what I have said.

Their leaders Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (Sabah Bersatu chairman) and others have voiced their anger on our stand," he told reporters after opening the SAPP annual general meeting on Sunday (Sept 1).

Yong - who is a nominated assemblyman - said SAPP has constantly made it clear that they would contest using the GRS symbol since the 2022 general election.

“I have already said that SAPP will contest under the GRS symbol," he said, adding that his party has constantly stood against non-Sabah parties contesting in the state election.

"It is only our stand as there are no laws to stop any party from contesting in the election. At the end of the day, it is the people who decide who they want," he added.

SAPP is part of the eight-party GRS coalition led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor who led a mass exodus out of Sabah Bersatu to form Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) after the 2022 general election.

GRS allied itself with the new federal unity government of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with most component parties abandoning Perikatan, which became the opposition at the national level.

SAPP decided to keep its membership with Perikatan while remaining in GRS but Sabah STAR led by Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Ktingan left Perikatan following the change in the federal government.

GRS's SAPP, Sabah STAR and Usno led by Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia have been advocating for GRS to go it alone in the next election and they have pushed for national parties to stay out of the state elections.

However, Hajiji has often said he is comfortable working with Pakatan Harapan as a partner in the state government.

Hajiji has said he did not rule out the possibility of working with Sabah Barisan Nasional whose relations broke in Jan 2023 after Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin pulled out Sabah Umno's support to GRS.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/09/01/sapp-to-contest-sabah-polls-on-grs-ticket-says-party-president