New Sabah PKR lineup will exclude faction leaders, says Pajudin

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 — In his first attempt at calling for a ceasefire to the Sabah PKR revolt, state chief Pajudin Nordin is expected to unveil a leadership lineup tomorrow that will exclude leaders of the party’s two warring factions.

Pajudin, whose unexpected appointment as the new Sabah PKR chief caused a stir in the state leadership last weekend, revealed to The Malaysian Insidertoday that both Ansari Abdullah and Ahmad Thamrin Jaini will not earn posts in his lineup.

The move, said the former state deputy youth chief, was to dispel the notion that he was Ansari’s “proxy” or that he was partial to any of the state leadership’s feuding factions.

“When I spoke to our party president two days ago, we decided that to address these concerns, both Ansari and Thamrin should not be involved in the state lineup.

“If we include them, then these problems will rise again,” he said when contacted today.

Pajudin added however that both Ansari and Thamrin would play advisory roles in the state PKR leadership and be treated with respect in their positions as divisional chiefs.

“We hope that this will put an end to the crisis. I believe that by excluding them from the lineup, party members will view me as an impartial leader who does not take sides.

“I have already said before — I am neither Ansari nor Thamrin, I am Pajudin,” he said.

The little-known leader gave his assurance that his lineup would include a fair mix of those from all factions in Sabah PKR, including those who backed Ansari, Thamrin and former vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan, who recently resigned from the party.

“I have to introduce a formula that shows that I am from neither group so my lineup will be inclusive — there will be those from Ansari’s, Thamrin’s and Jeffrey’s camp. This will show that I am not from any faction,” he said.

He added that he would reveal his lineup tomorrow once he obtains the green light from the party’s national leadership.

The lineup will include one post for state deputy chief, three vice-chairmen, a secretary, a treasurer and an information chief.

Only candidates for the posts of deputy chief and vice-chairmen require negotiation and approval from PKR’s national leadership.

Pajudin agreed that his appointment as the new Sabah PKR chief had ruffled feathers in the state leadership as his name had never been offered as a candidate to the party’s national leadership.

He also admitted that the appointment had raised the tempers of many state party leaders against the national leadership as they felt that their requests had been ignored.

“I was told that it is not that they hate me or that they are against my leadership. Many are dissatisfied with the national leadership because they felt like they were ignored and that PKR’s national leaders had given little or no regard to their requests,” he said.

As such, added Pajudin, the dust in Sabah PKR has yet been settled despite the party’s attempt at calling for all factions to close ranks ahead of the coming general election.

“But for what its worth, I believe the leadership’s decision to appoint me as the new state chief was its way of choosing the middle ground.

“I know many were shocked by their decision but I have been endorsed as the new leader and it must be understood that it is pointless to keep fighting.

“The leadership cannot suddenly change its mind or it will show inconsistency on their part,” he said.

The 42-year-old Pajudin, usually addressed as “ustaz” among his friends, was chosen by PKR’s powerful political bureau to lead the troubled Sabah PKR last Sunday, replacing Thamrin for the post.

The teacher is the first in Sabah to be appointed as a state party chief despite not being from among the state’s 25 divisional heads.

His appointment had come as a shock to Sabah PKR’s warring factions as he had not been among those touted as likely to be awarded the post.

Pajudin revealed that since he took over the helm of Sabah PKR, he had contacted all state divisional chiefs and pleaded with them to cease their bickering.

“I told them, some via SMS — please do not fight anymore. Let us return to our main objective. I believe that it is time now for us to co-operate and to find a way to move on.

“If I can get the co-operation from all camps, I believe we can put an end to this crisis,” he said.

Pajudin also admitted that he had heard of rumours that the party would soon be hit with more resignations but claimed that this would not greatly bruise Sabah PKR.

“Yes, I have heard that there will be more resignations. But then again, this is not unusual. I am sure that even if there are, they will not involve large numbers.

“Even when Jeffrey left, not many followed suit. It will not cause very serious damage to the party,” he said.

A party insider told The Malaysian Insider yesterday that more leaders would soon follow in Jeffrey’s footsteps and resign from the party in the next few weeks.

The leader claimed that the leaders were merely waiting for the right time to announce their resignations.

“They are very unhappy with the national leadership. We do not have autonomy in Sabah... our leaders in Kuala Lumpur just mete out instructions without consensus and they ignore our needs.

“Look at how Pajudin was appointed... how did they suddenly select him when he was not even one of the candidates that was vying for the post?” said the insider.

Sabah PKR was hit by a spate of resignations earlier this month and the continued bickering among state party leaders is viewed as a likely hindrance to Pakatan Rakyat’s dreams of breaking Barisan Nasional’s hold in east Malaysia in the coming general election.

Jeffrey, and 27 members from the state, quit from PKR and formed a non-political organisation called the United Borneo Front (UBF).

Following Jeffrey’s resignation, the state leadership tussle continued over who should helm Sabah PKR with factions rallying behind their chosen leaders Ansari and Thamrin.

Ansari was PKR’s choice during the recent Batu Sapi by-election but the lawyer failed in his bid to clinch the seat for the opposition, losing to newcomer Linda Tsen Thau Lin from BN.

The party insider told The Malaysian Insider that PKR would continue to remain fractured if the party’s national leadership insisted on using a “top-down” approach to run PKR in Sabah.

“Already, Sabahans view PKR as just another Umno. In terms of support, our PR partners in PAS and DAP are faring so much better than us here,” said the insider. Malaysian Insider