Hajiji with UPKO and GRS leaders at the 32nd UPKO Anniversary celebration and opening of the 17th UPKO Triennial Delegates Conference at Dewan Hongkod Koisaan, KDCA, tonight.
PENAMPANG: As fellow comrades in Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), the component parties may come from different ideological foundations and backgrounds, but they all shelter under the same roof and champion the same Sabah, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Haji Hajiji Haji Noor.
“GRS is our home, a home that we must look after together; a home that shelters our struggle, a struggle for the people and our beloved state,” said Hajiji, who is also GRS Chairman.
Hajiji said strong unity and close political cooperation were key to a more advanced, excellent and prosperous future for Sabah.
“This is the agenda that we must implement so that future generations of Sabah can be proud of the legacy we leave for them,” he said.
He also called on all GRS component parties to strengthen unity and continue working closely together to develop Sabah.
He said this when speaking at the 32nd UPKO Anniversary celebration and the 17th UPKO Triennial Delegates Conference at Dewan Hongkod Koisaan, KDCA, here tonight.
Hajiji said UPKO’s participation in GRS would further strengthen political stability in the State while enhancing cooperation among local parties in efforts to develop Sabah.
He said UPKO’s participation in GRS, as decided by the GRS Supreme Council on June 8, was a positive sign in Sabah’s political development and was welcomed with an open heart.
“In fact, when we received UPKO’s application to join GRS, we saw it as a positive sign in Sabah’s political development; and we welcomed it with an open heart,” he said.
Hajiji said UPKO’s presence in the coalition of local Sabah parties would certainly further strengthen political stability in Sabah, while enhancing cooperation among local parties through GRS.
“With the assurance of political stability, it will certainly be easier for the State Government to focus on the people’s development agenda, the State’s economic prosperity and infrastructure development in Sabah,” he said.
In this regard, he called on all UPKO leaders and members to continue working together to advance the Sabah First, Sabah United, Sabah Forward and Sabah Prosper visions, while strengthening unity and cooperation among all GRS component parties.
Hajiji said he greatly appreciated the strong support from the UPKO President and party members throughout his tenure as Chief Minister, which enabled him to lead Sabah’s development through the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 1.0 Development Plan, now being continued under SMJ 2.0.
He said the appointment of UPKO President Datuk Ewon Benedick as Deputy Chief Minister III-cum-Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport Minister carried a major mission to ensure that Sabah’s investment, industrial development and entrepreneurship agendas were successfully realised in line with the objectives of SMJ 2.0.
“I am very confident that with the strong commitment and cooperation of all parties; from the Government leadership to the roles and involvement of both the public and private sectors, God willing, the SMJ 2.0 Development Plan can be successfully implemented with excellence,” he said.
