Sabah PH weighs local voter feelings about use of GRS logo

PETALING JAYA: Local sentiments favouring Sabah-based parties are a key factor driving Pakatan Harapan’s deliberations on whether to contest the next general election under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah banner, says a political analyst.

Syahruddin Awang Ahmad of Universiti Sabah Malaysia said Sabah PH realised that the “Sabah for Sabahans” sentiment had become dominant, as proven by the results of the Nov 29 Sabah state election, where the party won only one seat.

GRS, on the other hand, won 33 seats and formed the state government with several local parties, including Upko, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), as well as Barisan Nasional and PH.

“By using a local symbol, national parties like PH can circumvent perceptions and sentiments among Sabahans that national parties interfere with the affairs of local parties,” Syahruddin told FMT.

He said chief minister Hajiji Noor’s success in establishing political stability and forming a stable government, despite the state polls ending without a clear victor, was another factor.

Sabah PH has previously denied discussing using the GRS logo, and has described a news report making the claim as “misleading”.

However, Utusan Borneo reported that Sabah PH chief Mustapha Sakmud did not dismiss the possibility of using the GRS symbol, although he said the matter had yet to be officially discussed within the state leadership.

Syahruddin said Sabah PH could easily contest under the GRS banner as part of a dynamic political strategy. He said PH and GRS have already struck up a close partnership, while a logo-sharing formula would only reflect strong unity between both coalitions.

The biggest challenge would be the willingness of PH and PKR grassroots to compromise in this matter, he said.

Arvin Tajari of Universiti Teknologi Mara said the GRS logo would be the safe option for PH, as the emblem is well recognised in Sabah alongside that of Warisan.

PH currently has three parliamentary seats in Sabah – Sepanggar, Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. In the 2022 general election, PH also won the Penampang and Tuaran seats through Upko candidates, but the Sabah-based party left the coalition right before the last state election.