Sabah Bersatu collapses, GRS members to form new party

Sabah Bersatu has virtually collapsed as state chief Hajiji Noor announced that its members quit today, with plans to form a new party.

In the interim, he said they will be members of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition instead.

Hajiji (above) said Sabah Bersatu members "unanimously" decided to quit the party in line with their decision to back the Anwar Ibrahim government - and for the "interests" of Sabah.

Curiously, Sabah Bersatu leader Ronald Kiandee was not in the photos accompanying Hajiji's statement - indicating that not all state members have quit.

Bersatu at the federal level is in the opposition as part of Perikatan Nasional.

Sabah Bersatu has five MPs - four of them contested under the GRS banner during GE15.

Ronald is the odd man out for Sabah Bersatu - as he contested and won his Beluran seat on a PN ticket.

Whether or not today's move will trigger anti-hopping laws are unclear.

The anti-hopping law provisions use "party membership" as the trigger factor - and while Sabah Bersatu was a member of the GRS, individual party members were not direct members of the coalition.

Likewise, Bersatu members who contested and won under the PAS logo in Kelantan, are still considered Bersatu members and not PAS members.

At the state level, Sabah has yet to enact an anti-hopping law in line with federal provisions - meaning the state government remains intact.

The bulk of Sabah Bersatu members including Hajiji and Ronald were originally Umno members who defected in December 2018.

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