Sabahans to decide who’ll be CM, vows Zahid

(FMT) – Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said tonight he would leave it to Sabahans to decide on their chief minister following Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s (GRS) victory in the state elections.

Zahid also promised there would not be a directive from West Malaysia. “This is my promise, let Sabahans decide on their chief minister without any directive from Putrajaya or KL,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.

He also said that the parties in GRS should negotiate and agree on who should be the next chief minister.

However, he praised state BN chief Bung Moktar Radin’s efforts at coordinating the coalition’s election machinery. “And this could be the basis for an opportunity to lead Sabah,” Zahid said.

He said under the Sabah constitution, the governor would appoint the individual from the party that won the most seats to lead the state.

Among the GRS parties, PPBM had secured the most seats. “It would be better for negotiations to be held before any party in the coalition is given the mandate to lead the state,” he said.

Zahid’s remarks about Bung come in the wake of criticism from Sabah Umno members when Bung was appointed to lead the election efforts.

Supreme Council member Abdul Rahman Dahlan, among others, said the appointment went against the promise of full autonomy for Sabah Umno.

Earlier in the evening, Bung and PPBM secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin both declared that the coalition had achieved a simple majority in the new 73-seat state assembly.

A full tally of official results has yet to be released by the Election Commission. Unofficial results showed GRS to have taken 38 seats by about 9pm, or just over the 37-seat threshold for a simple majority.

GRS is a loose coalition comprising Perikatan Nasional (which includes PPBM, PAS and STAR), BN and PBS.