[7] PBS is also the one of eight major component parties that formed the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), a Sabah-based official political coalition since 2022.

[8][9] Since 2022, the PBS acts as an allied partner, providing confidence and supply to the ruling federal Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition as part of GRS.

Its founding President is Joseph Pairin Kitingan who had broken away from the ruling Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah (BERJAYA) because of his differences with the Chief Minister of Sabah and party president, Harris Salleh in whose state cabinet Pairin served before the break-up.

However, numerous defections occurred as many PBS representatives switched allegiance to the then opposition BN coalition although PBS won a third term in the elections and was able to form a short-lived state administration that lasted for a week as a result of the defections which led to Pairin's resignation as Chief Minister.

[18] During the 2020–21 Malaysian political crisis later, PBS has become allied partner providing confidence and supply to the new ruling federal government Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition set-up by prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

[19][22] However, PBS expressed that they will stick to their own logo and flag until the actual local coalition is established under the RoS in the next and subsequent elections.