Anak Negeri mulls alliance with Star, SAPP ahead of Sabah polls

A relatively obscure Sabah party, Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri, is now looking at joining forces with Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) to face the upcoming state election.

Led by former Kinabalu MP Henrynus Amin, it has declared its intention to be part of the unofficial political bloc, potentially creating a three-party pact that could reshape the Kadazandusun-Murut (KDM) political landscape in Sabah.

“I have conveyed my interest directly to Jeffrey Kitingan and Yong Teck Lee,” Henrynus told Malaysiakini, referring to the Star and SAPP presidents, respectively.

It should be noted that while Kitingan and Yong have yet to formally seal their pact, both have publicly signalled readiness to contest all 73 state seats under a joint banner.

Both parties were recently ejected from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) after announcing plans to contest under their own logos rather than align with Pakatan Harapan.

Henrynus, a former Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) leader and once the representative of Kinabalu from 1995 to 1999, said Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri was prepared to field candidates after internal consultations.

The party, he stressed, stands on the dual rallying cries of “Sabah for Sabahans” and “Justice for Sabah” – which is the clarion call for most of the Sabah-based parties.

“These are not empty slogans. Sabah faces existential threats, from demographic engineering and Putrajaya’s refusal to restore our 40 percent revenue entitlement, to poverty, youth unemployment and the corrosive influence of money politics.

“These are the issues we will force to the forefront,” he said.

Other KDM-based parties

Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri first contested the 2018 general election but slipped under the radar in subsequent years.

Henrynus is remembered as an advocate for indigenous rights and state autonomy, but his return to frontline politics underscores the restless mood among KDM parties ahead of the polls.

Other KDM-based parties remain scattered throughout the Sabah political landscape.

Dr Joachim Gunsalam-led PBS remains within the GRS fold while the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) led by Ewon Benedick is with Harapan.

The Social Democratic Harmony Party, with its de facto leader Peter Anthony now in jail, is led by acting president and his daughter, Priscella Anthony.

Since 2018, the rise of Warisan under Shafie Apdal chipped away at Umno’s grip on Muslim-bumiputera strongholds, leaving the balance of power in the hands of smaller KDM blocs like Star and Upko at the time.

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