LDP wants ‘status quo’ to remain
By Joe Fernandez, Free Malaysia Today
KOTA KINABALU: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) said it will reject any attempts by Barisan Nasional (BN) to “compensate” it for the loss of positions in the state cabinet and government.
It’s also a sore point with LDP that peninsular-based political parties in the state now hold nine out of the 12 posts in the Sabah cabinet.
This stand comes in the wake of comments from Gerakan that other component parties like MCA should sacrifice some government posts for LDP. The reference is to chairmanships of GLCs, political secretaries and senators, among others.
“Chief Minister Musa Aman’s reasons for retaining Peter Pang as youth and sports minister and for handing the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) another deputy chief minister’s post are absurd and illogical,” said LDP president VK Liew, a deputy minister in the PM’s Department.
The oldest component in the Sabah BN, the LDP has been reduced to zero representation in the state cabinet despite winning all its seats during the last general election.
Gerakan, meanwhile, which was not given any seats to contest, has two members in the state cabinet following defections from LDP and the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).
Liew was explaining LDP’s position on the BN’s oft-cited power-sharing formula after hinting he was amenable to a compromise. He had called for a reasonable and fair deal for the LDP after the party’s loss of the two posts.
Liew had the unanimous support of LDP leaders and the rank-and-file. The two controversial appointments, he said, upset the equilibrium in the BN and it Musa alone who has to bear the responsibilty for having acted against the interest of the BN.
“We are sure that the other components parties in the BN, except for the PBS and Gerakan, are jittery about the current situation. Musa has set a bad and dangerous precedent,” he said.
While acknowledging that the chief minister had prerogative powers to appoint members to the government, Liew said that such discretionary powers must be exercised judiciously.
Pang’s retention, said Liew, was absurd while PBS getting a second DCM post – at the expense of LDP – was illogical. The LDP sees itself as representing the Chinese community in Sabah BN after the 2008 pullout of SAPP.
Pang, a LDP deputy president, defected to Gerakan recently. Liew said tempers and emotions were running high in the party and any attempt to offer sweeteners to dilute the bitterness is an afterthought and not workable given the circumstances.
Losing more posts
There were those who felt that the party should review its position in the coalition, and Liew stopped short of saying that many wanted to quit the BN. “Needless to say, we will continue to serve the people of Sabah in the various capacities we have and act without fear or favour.”
