TAWAU: Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) have agreed in principle to cooperate with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) in the coming general election, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The Bersatu Sabah Chief said he had spoken to Umno Sabah about this and was met with positive response.
“All of us (GRS and BN) agree in principle that we must cooperate (in the coming general election). Now we only need to discuss about distribution of seats,” he said during a dinner with the Bersatu Tawau and Kalabakan leadership at Hotel Emas, here, Tuesday.
He was confident that GRS-BN would continue to prioritise the wellbeing and development of the people and State.
Hajiji also advised party members to be realistic because Sabah has only 25 seats and “we have to distribute evenly.”
Earlier, he received 1,150 membership applications from former opposition party members that included 1,000 from Parti Warisan.
“They have made the right decision because Bersatu Sabah is a party that struggles for all people in Sabah,” he said.
On hand were Tawau Bersatu Chief Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan and his Kalabakan counterpart Karim Wahid, as well as divisional committee members from Srikandi and Armada.
Earlier Tuesday, the State Government said it has agreed, in principle, to the expansion of the Aquaculture Industrial Zone (ZIA) that will see a larger area set aside for seaweed cultivation at Burst-Point, Sebatik waters.
Hajiji, who was on a working visit to the Malaysia-Indonesia maritime border in Tawau, said the move would help improve the livelihood of the people here.
The Chief Minister was told by State Fisheries Deputy Director Azhar Kassim that Tawau is the second largest producer of seaweed in the State after Semporna.
Burst-Point, fronting Nunukan, Indonesia, has been found most suitable for high grade seaweed cultivation and currently, some 3,000 acres have been cultivated involving 57 local entrepreneurs.
A total of 314 metric tonnes of seaweed amassing gross sales of RM2.4 million had been harvested during the first six months this year.
Hajiji then visited the General Operations Force security outposts at Burst-Point, Wallace Bay and Sungai Melayu, where he was briefed on security issues at the Malaysia-Indonesia border.
Also present were the State Secretary Datuk Seri Sr Safar Untong, State Attorney-General Datuk Nor Asiah Mohd Yusof, Sabah Internal Affairs and Research Secretary Datuk Awang Shahminan Awang Sahari, State Lands and Surveys Director Datuk Bernard Liew, Commander of the Eastern Sabah Security Command DCP Haji Hamzah Ahmad, Sabah National Security Council Director Noor Alam Khan Abdul Wahid Khan and State Police Deputy Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun.
