Kota kinabalu: The Sabah State Legislative Assembly has been officially dissolved today to make way for the 17th Sabah State Election. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor made the announcement at a press conference after attending a lunch meeting with state leaders and backbenchers at Menara Kinabalu, the state's administrative centre here.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Hajiji, who is also the chairman of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), stated that the dissolution was consented to by Sabah Governor Tun Musa Aman during their meeting this morning. Present at the press conference were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam, acting President of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), alongside other members of the state Cabinet.
Also present were leaders of GRS component parties, including Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, president of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO); Datuk Chin Su Phin, president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP); Tan Sri Liew Yun Fah, president of Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat); and Tan Sri Anifah Aman, president of Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS). Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman and United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) president Datuk Ewon Benedick, as well as other PH leaders, including Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Phoong Jin Zhe, were also in attendance.
The Sabah State Assembly consists of 79 seats, of which 73 are elected members and six are appointed. In the 16th State Election held in 2020, GRS, then aligned with Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN), PBS, and independent assemblymen, secured 41 out of the 73 contested seats, forming the state government. Warisan won 23 seats, while PH secured nine.
GRS was formally registered in March 2022, comprising Bersatu, PBS, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP). BN and PAS were not part of the coalition. However, in November 2022, Hajiji and other Bersatu leaders exited the party to form Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat), leading to Bersatu's removal from GRS.
By January 2023, BN withdrew its support for the GRS-led state government; however, PH stepped in to provide support, allowing the state administration under Hajiji to remain intact. Last Thursday, GRS secretary-general Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun announced that STAR and SAPP would contest the upcoming State Election using their respective party logos rather than the GRS emblem. Consequently, both parties are no longer considered part of the coalition, adhering to GRS's ruling that component parties must contest under a common symbol.
Currently, GRS comprises Gagasan Rakyat, PBS, USNO, LDP, Harapan Rakyat, and PCS, holding 42 seats in the State Legislative Assembly. The opposition consists of Warisan with 14 seats, BN with 12, PH with seven, Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat with two, and PAS with one. One seat, Sungai Sibuga, remains vacant following the death of incumbent Datuk Mohamad Hamsan Awang Supain (BN) in January.