Cracks in opposition coalition as Parti Cinta Sabah pulls out
(The Star) – A first crack has appeared in Sabah’s opposition coalition with Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) led by Datuk Wilfred Bumburing (pix) pulling out of the five-party Gabungan Sabah or United Sabah Alliance (USA).
Bumburing said that his party’s supreme council decided to leave the two-year-old coalition after he threw the idea of forming a “grand alliance” comprising all opposition parties, including Parti Warisan Sabah led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal as well as national-based opposition parties DAP and PKR.
“The PCS supreme council members are unanimous in their opinion that parties within the Gabungan are not united in the quest for regime change; some want to have political cooperation only after the elections,” Bumburing said in a statement after the supreme council meeting here Friday.
“PCS decided that we can’t achieve the intended cooperation with other parties when there is no unity.
“The supreme council members unanimously decided that it would be in the best interest of PCS, its members and the people of Sabah who really want to see a regime change that PCS stand on its own and leave USA,” he said.
The exit of PCS from Gabungan was widely anticipated following speculations that PCS was likely to team up with Warisan, DAP and PKR.
Gabungan will be left with Sabah STAR headed by Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah led by Datuk Lajim Ukin, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) led bvy Datuk Yong Teck Lee and Parti Perpaduan Rakyat Sabah (PPRS) headed by Datuk Mohd Arshad Abdul Maulat.
However, Bumburing said he has yet to meet Shafie to discuss his grand opposition alliance plans which he feels could include his former partners in Gabungan.
In making the decision to leave Gabungan, he said Gabungan alone will not be able to achieve the objective of toppling the Barisan Nasional government at state and national levels.
“There are opposition parties outside of Gabungan which are reluctant to sit down with Gabungan leaders and at the same time, there are leaders in Gabungan who are reluctant to sit and talk to the other parties outside of their coalition,” he claimed.
Bumburing hoped that by leaving the local coalition, PCS could play a prominent and important role in facilitating formal discussions with all opposition parties in Sabah.
The PCS move will likely see two major opposition coalitions emerge in Sabah as hopes of a “one-on-one” contests against Barisan look set to fizzle out.
Shafie has publicly said that he does not want to work with Yong and Dr Jeffrey.
