TENOM: Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) have to secure a victory in the Melalap state seat in the upcoming elections.
Gagasan Rakyat Sabah president Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said he did not want the people of Melalap to suffer by being represented by the opposition.
Datuk Peter Anthony defended the state seat for the second term in the 2020 state election. He won the seat under the Parti Warisan ticket.
However, Peter left Warisan and currently leads Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat.
During a recent party division meeting here, Hajiji said it was important to learn from past political mistakes.
"Sabah has lagged behind due to division. This should serve as a lesson. If we unite and rely on the Sabah Maju Jaya development plan, we can bring about significant change for the state."
Addressing the recent resolutions passed by the Gagasan Rakyat Melalap division during its annual meeting, Hajiji, who is chief minister, assured attendees that he would thoroughly review and consider the proposals.
One key issue raised was the backlog of land applications that have remained unresolved for years.
He also highlighted the situation regarding village land situated within forest reserves, pledging to facilitate the release of the land for rightful habitation.
"After we took over the government, thousands of acres have been removed from forest reserves across Sabah. I will take this issue seriously, especially in the Tenom district."
Following his remarks, Hajiji welcomed 1,500 new membership applications for the Gagasan Rakyat Melalap division and provided aid to victims of the natural disaster that struck Tenom on Sept 17.
The event was attended by Gagasan Rakyat Melalap head Datuk Jamawi Jaafar, Kemabong head Datuk Rubin Balang, and the party's treasurer general Datuk Ghulam Haidar Khan Bahadar.