KUDAT: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Hajiji Noor today denied that his relationship with his deputy Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin is strained.

The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman said on the contrary, ties between leaders in the coalition remain strong, while also pointing out that he would have not remained as chief minister if the situation was otherwise.

"Let me make this clear. We have never had a fallout. No misunderstanding despite talks by others about the both of us.

"My relationship with Datuk Bung, Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili (Parti Bersatu Sabah - PBS president) and Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku - STAR president) is very friendly and getting stronger with time," he said in a statement in conjunction with the closing ceremony of the GRS Back Benchers Club Retreat here yesterday.

GRS is a Sabah-based political coalition comprising Perikatan Nasional (PN - Bersatu, STAR, Sabah Progressive Party - SAPP, PAS and Gerakan), Barisan Nasional (BN - UMNO, PBRS, MIC dan MCA) and PBS.

Hajiji, who is also Sabah PN chairman said both he and Bung Mokhtar, who is Sabah BN chairman, agree that the mandate given by the people of Sabah to GRS needs to be protected through hard work before it ends in four years.

On registering GRS officially, Hajiji said if all parties were on the same page on the matter, he would go the extra mile to get it done.

"I believe once we make the coalition official, ties and unity within will be strengthened," he said.

GRS won the Sabah state election in 2020 after securing 41 of the 73 state seats contested and ousting the Warisan Plus coalition (Warisan, Upko and DAP) which won 32 seats.

After the formation of the state government, GRS secured an additional six seats through six assemblymen who were appointed before five opposition assemblymen also switched over.

-- BERNAMA