KOTA KINABALU (Dec 5): Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) on Monday voiced its intention to leave Perikatan Nasional (PN) and an official announcement about the matter will follow shortly, its president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said.

The Sabah deputy chief minister said the move was made as STAR, which is currently supporting the unity goverment, is not aligned with PN.

"Yes [we are leaving PN]. Let's wait for the announcement, because if you go in this direction and I go in that direction, that means we're not aligned," he told reporters on Monday.

On Nov 26, Kitingan said STAR had taken the same stand as Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) to support the unity government.

As such, he said that PN is now on a different track compared to STAR and only time will determine the party's position in the coalition, and that he wants to wait until the political situation calms down before making the next move.

GRS, comprising Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, Parti Bersatu Sabah, STAR, Sabah Progressive Party, and United Sabah National Organisation, is cooperating with Barisan Nasional, which is a coalition of United Malays National Organisation, Malaysian Chinese Association, Malaysian Indian Congress, and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah, to administer Sabah.