‘Exodus if PBRS has to give up MP seat’

(Daily Express) – Keningau: The public spat between Barisan Nasional components Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) and Umno in the Interior seats in the coming general election continued with PBRS Sook Youth Chief Kahirin Bador predicting that BN will lose thousands of members if PBRS loses one of its two seats here to Umno.

Nevertheless, he said PBRS Sook Youth remained loyal to the BN and fully supported the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.

The incumbent for the Pensiangan parliamentary seat is Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, President of PBRS. The court ruled in favour of the Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister when his rival claimed that he was prevented from filing his nomination papers on time. Kurup also faced an angry mob at the nomination centre that day in 2008.

According to Kahirin, PBRS has 26,630 members in Pensiangan with 13,850 in Sook and 9,780 in Nabawan.

“This is the up-to-date figure as of June 2012 and not as stated by Umno Pensiangan Youth assistant secretary Khairil Abdullah who was referring to an outdated report that was based on the 2008 figure,” he said.

Kahirin advised Khairil to respect the power sharing concept of BN and respect whatever decision made by the leadership.

He said Khairil should have not tabled the motion to ask for one of the three seats in Pensiangan during the Umno Pensiangan Youth annual general meeting.

Kahirin praised Nabawan Upko Assemblyman Datuk Bobbey Suan and Upko members as always cooperating with PBRS leaders to resolve problems of the people in the constituency.

“This is a true example of the BN concept, which is in line with the unity and peaceful spirit, not bully small parties like what Umno Pensiangan Youth is doing,” he said.

“I suggest Umno Pensiangan Youth stop discussing the seat distribution because it will only cause disunity among the BN parties,” he said.

“Respect whatever decision by the BN leadership as well as the statement by Umno Pensiangan Chief, Datuk Abdul Ghani Yassin, who promised to cooperate with whoever is the BN candidate in Pensiangan,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pensiangan Umno urged its members to unite and ensure BN wins and remains the government. Its chief, Ghani, said they should support all BN candidates irrespective of which party they represent.

Pensiangan Umno deputy chief Ahuar Rasam said the Division had yet to receive any information on whether Umno will be contesting the parliamentary seat.

Ahuar said anyone has the right to apply to contest in Pensiangan including Umno. Nevertheless, the decision rests with the BN leadership, he said.

On his son joining the PKR, he said anyone has the right to choose whatever political avenue. However, he did not discount the possibility of his son supporting the BN in the future.

Such scenario, he said, is not strange and cited PBS President Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan and his brother, Star Sabah Chairman, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

“My son’s decision to join another party is his choice and has nothing to do with me,” he said. Ahuar is an influential figure in Pensiangan.

He was instrumental in relocating villagers from five settlements on the

Kalimantan-Sabah border to Kg Salarom Taka near Sepulut Kalabakan.

The villagers were given a longhouse as dwelling and also 74 houses to continue their livelihood. According to him, there are 15,464 Umno members in Pensiangan that include Sook and Nabawan.

A former secretary of a BN component, James Jamil, 58, said PBRS President Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, as BN chairman for Pensiangan, should call for a meeting of all the component parties and discuss the issue.

“This is the best way to resolve the crisis,” he said, adding that any BN component has the right to request to stand in Pensiangan or Sook and Nabawan.

However, he said it was better the matter not be debated in the media.

“The opposition will gleefully take the opportunity if the crisis between the two component parties cannot be resolved,” he said.

According to him, during the formation of PBRS on March 15, 1994, he organised the party in Pensiangan, which at the time covered Tambunan, Bingkor and Pensiangan itself.

“At that time the BN component parties were facing a very tough situation and the PBRS branches at that time had to be re-organised until 2004 the time when I retired.

“However, I know more about Pensiangan especially its people,” he said.

In 2004, the electoral boundary re-delineation exercise saw Pensiangan separated from Keningau to cover the state seats of Sook and Nabawan with the incumbent being Datuk Ellron Alfred Angin (PBRS) and Datuk Bobbey Ahfang Suan (Upko), respectively.

“I was made to understand that the BN government had in 1994 until today given the Pensiangan and Sook quota to PBRS until last year when Umno Pensiangan demanded Pensiangan to be represented by Umno,” he said.