Announcing the move in the northern Kota Belud district some 60kms from the city, Malajad said he was ditching the opposition party to ensure that his constituents fully benefitted from the development programmes of the Barisan Nasional-led Sabah government.
He said Barisan's victory in more than two thirds of the 60 state constituencies clearly demonstrated the people's confidence in the ruling coalition.
''As a newly elected representative I fully realise the aspirations of the people of my constituency who want to see improvements and positive changes including the provision of basic amenities such as roads, water supply and rural clinics," he said in the presence of the 50 Kadamaian PKR members who had also quit the party.
Malajad along with PKR state assemblyman Jailani Hamdan of Matunggong had been widely expected to quit the party after their absence from a meeting with party chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here last weekend.
When contacted, Jailani told The Star: ‘’I have not reached that point yet. However I am not ruling out the possibility of leaving the party.”
Jailani said did not attend the Sabah PKR liaison meeting with Anwar on Saturday as he and Malajad did not see any point in attending it.
‘’We cannot work with Sabah PKR chief Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin anymore,” he said.
He said Anwar and Lajim had ignored their repeated calls for better representation of the Kadazandusun-Rungus communities in the state PKR liaison line-up.
In particular, Jailani said they had requested for a Kadazandusun-Rungus to be made the deputy state chief which Lajim had promised to but subsequently appointed Api Api State Assemblyman Christina Liew.
‘’I am not against anyone but there are three State Assemblymen and a Member of Parliament from the Kadazandusun-Rungus communities in PKR. All we are asking for is justice,” he said.
He said as Sabah PKR chief, Lajim had deliberately sidelined the Kadazandusun and Rungus leaders.
He said Anwar had also named Lajim as Sabah State Assembly opposition chief without proper consultation of PKR and DAP assemblymen.
Jailani said many among the PKR and DAP Assemblymen were not in favour of Lajim becoming the opposition chief.
‘’In fact in the early stages of discussions Lajim’s name was not even brought up but suddenly he was named opposition chief,” he added.
Sabah’s elected opposition ranks in the State Assembly began cracking on September 27 after DAP’s Hiew King Cheu of Luyang quit the party and declared himself an independent.
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