KOTA KINABALU: Do not lose sight of the people when making political decisions on partnerships in the coming 15th General Elections (GE15), says Bersatu information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan.
He said this when asked to comment about the desired outcome from Sabah Umno seeking their leadership’s feedback in Kuala Lumpur on whether the state Barisan Nasional should work with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) parties for the next general election.
“I think whatever decision is made by other parties, we leave it to them. It would be inappropriate for me to give my views on what should or should not happen.
“But whatever decision, it should benefit the people of Sabah.
“We have seen under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s leadership, the Sabah Maju Jaya agenda is important to ensure all resources and its results can be shared equally among the people.
“I hope the focus is not lost, whatever decision is reached (by Sabah Barisan on political partnership),” he said to reporters during the closed-door dialogue session with Sabah Bersatu information chiefs on Tuesday (March 29).
He reminded that Bersatu in general is always open to cooperation and can work together well with all the other parties.
Wan Saiful said Sabah Bersatu has used the freedom given by the central leadership in making the right decisions for the state government.
“We did not use the word ‘autonomy’ officially, but that is what it is in practice, and Sabah Bersatu has been using this power wisely.
“The Sabah government under Hajiji has always been focused on the welfare of the people and I think this is something to be envied by other states, as the focus never veered from the people’s interests and developing the state’s economy.”
Meanwhile, Sabah Bersatu information chief Khairul Firdaus Akbar assured that the ties between GRS and Barisan in Sabah are intact as the main focus is to develop the state and take care of the people.
“We as Sabahans know Sabah’s history where we have changed government administrations for seven times.
“There is no reason for us to revert to the past, and that is the reason our Chief Minister (Hajiji) and Sabah Barisan chairman (Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin) are aligned.
“Their purpose is clear, which is to develop Sabah which has many potentials, and due to political games for many years, Sabah’s development has been hindered.
“I think that is one of the main reasons our great leaders are united in this sense, in this matter,” he added.
Recently, Bung was quoted saying that while Sabah Umno will be negotiating with its allies in GRS to determine its direction in the coming general election, they are also tied to the central Umno at the same time, where the party central leadership will have a say on how they function in GE15.