Kuala Lumpur: Barisan Nasional (BN) plans to refine a proposal to form a grand coalition with Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) for the upcoming Sabah state election, according to BN chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Ahmad Zahid, who also serves as the president of UMNO, emphasized the need to address differences between the three coalitions to ensure that there are no overlapping seats during the election.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the BN chairman made these remarks after officiating at a ceremony for the declaration of Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM) Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The initiative aims to prevent electoral conflicts and foster collaboration among the political groups.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who also chairs PH, highlighted the importance of cooperation between PH, BN, and GRS in the Sabah election to ensure political stability at both the national and state levels. Anwar remarked that discussions among Sabah PH, Sabah BN, and GRS are ongoing and have not yet reached a conclusion. Previous statements regarding Sabah PH-BN cooperation involve only the two coalitions, with GRS yet to be included.

Last Saturday, a joint statement by Unity Government Secretariat chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and PH secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail confirmed that PH and BN had agreed to collaborate in the upcoming Sabah election.