Tambunan Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah chief Datuk Victor Paut said the 500 former Star Sabah members joined the party voluntarily due to dissatisfaction with their previous leadership, not for positions or financial gain.
He said the move, made well before elections, reflected grassroots frustration over being unheard.
“Positions are already filled, so claims they were offered posts are baseless. Allegations that they were paid are also untrue,” he said.
Victor added that confidence in the GRS government’s development efforts also influenced the switch.