Jeffrey: Borneo Alliance to be launched soon

Former PKR man all set to return to active politics as party head

KOTA KINABALU: The Borneo Alliance, a coalition of political parties and NGOs, has roped-in the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP)  into its fold, and is expected to be formally launched next month, the United Borneo Front chairman Jeffrey Kintingan announced today.

In a statement here, Jeffrey said: “As a result of the continuous tea-parties the alliance has been holding all over Sabah, the people have been waiting eagerly for the movement to become a full-fledged political reality rather than merely an NGO.

“I have been asked all the time what political vehicle will be used for the Borneo Alliance which will move the Borneo Agenda,” he said.

He, however, revealed that the Borneo Alliance also known as Pakatan Borneo would “definitely be launched next month” although the date had yet to be confirmed.

Jeffrey also said he is in the final stages of  joining a political party in which he is being offered a state leadership role.

He confirmed that he had reached an “arrangement” with SAPP president Yong Teck Lee on the matter and both parties are set to be the prime initial movers of the alliance.

He reiterated that the alliance’s principle was to unite parties and organisations in Sabah and Sarawak as they would be the ones who decide who would form the nation’s federal government after the next general election.

“We must have the autonomy to be kingmakers.  This means local-based parties must take charge of the two states and stand for their rights within the federation.

“This cannot be done if we remain under the control of Peninsular Malaysia, or peninsular-based parties,” he said.

He said the Borneo Alliance was not looking for a drastic or radical change but only wanted “the rightful reinstatement of the original concept of Malaysia.”

“We were promised that Borneo states would be independent entities and the federal government would be a shared responsibility among the four merging entities.

“We need to create a new political and administrative system to replace the present one in which only one party is controlling all the others who are subservient,” he said.

Kitingan also hinted that he may lean in support of Pakatan Rakyat,  the loosely formed opposition coalition comprising peninsular based PAS, DAP and PKR.