Siambun said the appointment of Lajim was carried out through a consensus exercise by the 25 Sabah PKR divisional heads, with the results forwarded to the party's headquarters and subsequently to the Supreme Council for approval.
According to him, more than two-thirds or 20 of the divisional heads recommended Lajim as Sabah new PKR chief.
"So, we are really in the dark when he (Matunggong Assemblyman Jelani Hamdan) said we disagreed with Lajim being the new Chairman of Sabah PKR," he told reporters in a press conference, Monday.
To this, he said the insinuation that the party's headquarters has a hand in the appointment of Lajim is wrong.
He said he and Liew agreed with the consensus that Lajim heads Sabah PKR to replace Ahmad Thamrin Jaini.
He said what he, together with Liew, Jelani and Kadamaian Assemblyman Jeremy Malajad, have said during a private meeting with PKR Adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is for PKR to not omit any of the Sabah PKR assemblymen/women from the picture.
"We (also) discussed the roles of the elected representatives in the interior and the difficulties they face as YBs," he said.
Siambun said they also asked for Anwar's advice during the eye-to-eye meeting on how to improve the party and forge closer ties between Sabah PKR and the party's headquarters.
Throughout the meeting, he said, none of the four elected representatives ever raised any disagreement with the appointment of Lajim as Sabah PKR chief.
Liew said they all welcomed and looked forward to work with Lajim for an improved Sabah PKR so that they would be able to give better service to the people, to get ready for the next general election and to solidify the party.
She said the statement by Jelani on Sunday came as a huge surprise and shock. "(Hence) we categorically deny that we do not support Lajim as the new chief of Sabah PKR," she said.
She said one of the issues they raised was the important roles for all Sabah PKR elected representatives in the new Sabah PKR line-up, including those who contested in the 13th General Election but lost.
"Both Anwar and Lajim have agreed on this and they were the ones that they will make sure that we are in the main body," said Siambun.
Liew said she hoped Jelani would be patient and wait for the new line-up to be announced so that the latter would understand better the situation.
She said the statement by Jelani has had an impact on the party's image and giving the wrong impression that the party is disunited.
"In fact, we are very united. Imagine more than two-thirds of the ketua cabang (divisional chiefs) have signed and recommended Lajim to be the ketua (chief) and for the party's central to consider him.
"This was endorsed by the State Leaders Council and also by the party's Supreme Council," she said.
On the proposals that Jelani purportedly said were given to Anwar and Lajim during the former's visit to Sabah last month, Liew said both she and Siambun have no inkling about it.
She said Lajim is in the process of naming the Sabah PKR line-up by consulting with everyone concerned and that the list should be out by this week.
"Jelani will also play an important role in the new Sabah PKR Leader's Council line-up," she said.
Meanwhile, Jelani clarified that he and Liew, Siambun and Malajad, never gave a written memorandum to Anwar and Lajim.
"I also never spoke on behalf of the three elected representatives," he said.
He said he respected Anwar's decision regarding Lajim's appointment but that he and the three YBs have voiced out their proposals to Anwar and Lajim.
He also said Luyang Assemblyman Hiew King Chiew did not support Tamparuli Assemblyman Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing as Sabah's opposition chief.
Hiew supported Lajim prior to the appointment of the State's opposition chief and this has not gone down well with his Sabah DAP counterparts.
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