According to a former Upko senator, current
party leaders were 'trapped' by PM Najib Tun Razak's announcement of an
RCI which is unlikely to convene before the polls.
APS is led by Tuaran MP and former-deputy president of United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) Bumburing while PPS is headed by Beaufort MP Lajim who is a former Umno supreme council member.
Both the MPs had on July 29 quit all posts that came with their positions as BN coalition members and pledged support to former prime deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim who now leads Pakatan.
However, both Bumburing and Lajim have yet to join any of the opposition coalition component parties.
Bumburing’s former boss in Upko, Bernard Dompok, was quick to paint the two former senior BN leaders ‘partyless’ status as indecisive, saying that they displayed the lack of confidence in Pakatan’s political struggle.
Dompok, the Plantations Industries and Commodities Minister, who is fighting his own battle to remain relevant in the ruling coalition, also questioned the need for Bumburing and Lajim to establish APS and PPS as their political platforms.
Dompok likened the Anwar-led opposition “as a duck in the water where on the surface the bird looked calm but underwater it was paddling hard.”
However, APS deputy president Maijol Mahap, an Upko vice-president until he resigned in August this year to team up with Bumburing, has hit back at Dompok.
“It is not for anyone to say whether or not Bumburing has any confidence in any of the political parties that make up Pakatan Rakyat. (Joining a political party) is not his priority,” said the former senator who lost his position after he quit the BN.
Upko has already given the senator post to its deputy secretary-general Lucas Umbol whose nomination was unanimously passed by the Sabah Legislative Assembly last week.
‘Pakatan made up of equal partners’
Mahap disclosed that after going through a series of discussions with several Pakatan party leaders including Anwar, it was agreed that Bumburing and Lajim through APS and PPS, assist the opposition coalition in their quest to topple the BN government and wrest control of Putrajaya.
“In relation to this understanding, leaders from APS and PPS have been appointed as members of Pakatan National Council,” he said.
“Unlike BN where Umno is the dominant force and all the other parties have to follow the dictates of Umno, Pakata) is made of equal partners where no single party dominates the other members of the coalition,” he said.
The former senator also backed Bumburing’s stunning revelation that Upko leaders had discussed pulling the party out of the BN and joining Pakatan.
“In fact before July 29, there were suggestion coming from several Upko leaders wanting Bumburing and his group to postpone their intended date to quit BN-Upko.”
According to Mahap, the leaders eventually agreed to let Bumburing go first while Upko leaders sort out some technicalities.
“However all these notions suddenly changed when Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak promised to announce the formation of RCI,” he added.
Mahap pointed out that currently Upko leaders are in a quandry and find themselves “trapped” by the announcement as until today the members of the RCI have yet to sit while “the terms of reference unveiled is nothing but a tool to try to appease the people”.
Upko leaders, he said, are aware that Sabah’s broken immigration system has posed a huge problem for the state and the country with no solution in sight and questions are now being asked about how tough or tender the federal administration will be towards the million or so immigrants already in the state.
“What will Upko do or say should the RCI fail to complete its reports during the stipulated time given to it and/or in the midst of it Najib dissolves Parliament and calls for elections?
“Perhaps the RCI might not even be able to sit for their first meeting before the general election is called,” he said, adding that Upko leaders would find it tough to go down and convince locals to defend the failure of the Umno-BN government in solving the problem.
Isu mengenai Bumburing dan Lajim ini mungkin ada sebab yang tersembunyi atas tindakan mereka ini.
ReplyDeleteLajim dan Bumburing pasti ada agenda tersendiri dalam mrnghadapi PRU13
DeleteHarap mereka berdua ini masih mengutamakan hak milik rakyat.
DeleteHenrynus also congratulated Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman, for his foresight to set up the Sabah BN committee on citizenship under the chairmanship of Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is also PBS President which served as the catalyst in the formation of the RCI.
ReplyDeleteHe said as a member of the Sabah BN committee on citizenship, he witnessed how the committee discussed and articulated the popular demand for RCI, and then formulated the terms of reference most of which were adopted by the Federal government.
ReplyDeletePBS would be mobilising party machinery at all levels to explain to the people the objectives of the formation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants.
ReplyDeletePBS expects all Sabah BN component political parties to cooperate and work closely to ensure the royal probe on illegal immigrants succeeds.
ReplyDeleteHenrynus has described the successful formation of the RCI and its terms of reference by the Prime Minister as a winnable strategy to counter opposition propaganda and win over the hearts and minds of the people of Sabah.
ReplyDeleteThe formation of the RCI is clearly a victory for the people of Sabah, and certainly, a historic moment, that will decide the fate of a nation, especially the future history of Sabah
ReplyDeleteIni juga RCI berjaya mengesan bukti projek ic.
Deleteon the surface Anwar purportedly supported the formation of the RCI, but at the same time, he is calling for all illegal immigrants to be issued with permanent Resident status.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very dangerous proposition as, under the Federal Constitution, a foreigner who has been given a PR status and lives continuously in any part of Malaysia for more than five years, is eligible to apply for citizenship.
ReplyDeletePKR or Pakatan must, therefore, explain their intention to grant Permanent Resident status to illegal immigrants without documents if voted to power.
ReplyDeleteMalaysia is guided by the principles of "Rukun Negara" and the rule of law and expect the constitutional process of granting citizenship to be respected.
ReplyDeletePBS, he said, disagrees with the views expressed by former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad, that there is nothing wrong in giving citizenship to illegal immigrants who can converse in Bahasa Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteUnited Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun and Murut Organisation (Upko) Komulakan chief Ewon Benedict said Sabah leaders and residents should appreciate the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah as it could resolve the issue.
ReplyDeleteWhile conveying his thanks to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s commitment to forming the RCI, Ewon, who represents the younger generation, said the issue of illegal immigrants and problems that cropped up from their presence in Sabah was an issue of concern in the movement.
ReplyDeleteNajib should run his word to form the RCI now./
Delete“Najib is the first prime minister to commit positively towards setting up the RCI which has long been proposed by political parties in Sabah,” he said in a statement to Bernama here today.
ReplyDeleteHe hoped the six-member panel would fulfil the aspirations and expectations of the Sabah people in tackling the influx of illegal immigrants.
ReplyDeleteEwon said the Upko Komulakan movement, through the party’s main committee, was ready to provide co-operation to the RCI.
ReplyDeleteRecently a member of the RCI into Sabah's illegal immigrants has filed a RM 50 mil suit against 2 local activists for alleged defamation
ReplyDeleteGE could be held even before the conclusion of the RCI findings because the 13th GE and RCI's work are 2 separate matters.
ReplyDeleteRCI would not identify the parties involved but they could be traced through their service records and it would be up to the Government or the Attorney General to act further.
ReplyDeleteRCI harus ditubuhakn sebelum PRU13 dianjurkan, ini untuk memastikan PRU yang bersih dan amanah.
ReplyDeleteKerajaan negeri juga harus berusaha untuk menyelesaikan isu PATI yang semakin serius. Golongan ini bertambah banyak yang boleh mengancam ketenteraman negara.
ReplyDelete