KOTA KINABALU, Oct. 7 -- Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan has given five defecting assemblymen a week to change their minds, warning that many newer and younger candidates are ready to take their place.

Kitingan said the five assemblymen who had publicly announced their support for Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) now have less than a week to confirm their decision if they wish to return to the fold.

"There are many people ready to replace them. I have given them a week, and half of that period has already passed," he said when met at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport today.

Kitingan, who had just returned from Kuala Lumpur, was greeted by several hundred supporters waving Sabah flags, banners and posters.

He had led ...