KOTA BELUD: The Borneo Agenda campaign by United Borneo Front is gathering steam in the Land Below the Wind.
A member of Upko, a Barisan Nasional (BN) component party, has shown interest and wants to hear more.
Ewon Benedic, the press secretary to Federal Minister of Plantation, Bernard Dompok, was among those who attended a “Borneo tea party” held by UBF in Kampung Kiau, Kota Belud over the weekend.
Ewon surprised the gathering when he said during a question and answer session, that he too subscribed to Borneo Agenda.
He is the chief of the pre-youth wing in the party.
“We share the same vision and I don’t see a problem to engage with each other… In fact UBF should engage with us the young ones,” said Ewon who wore a shirt with UPKO emblazoned on it to the function.
He said he would be more than happy to arrange a session between UBF leader Jeffrey Kitingan with Upko’s Komulakan wing.
The Borneo Agenda is outlined in a seven-point demand which calls for a greater autonomy for Sabah and Sarawak, seeks to review the Malaysia Agreement in order to implement all the guarantees given to the two states before the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
A delighted Jeffrey welcomed Ewon’s stand and said that every politician in Sabah should emulate his open attitude so that it would be easier to achieve the aims of Borneo Agenda.
“It is because of disunity (in purpose) that we have failed to be heard. This is what UBF is all about, it is not a political party, it seeks to unite the various factions, especially the 56 MPs in East Malaysia that would eventually decide the federal government.
“God again is giving us in Sabah and Sarawak a window of opportunity at the coming general election. The power equation in Peninsular will be hung and so we will be the decider. Let us use wisdom…” he urged.
Struggle still the same
Ewon also used the occasion to drum up support for his boss Dompok to a doubting audience and took the opportunity to fire some barbs at fellow Sabah BN ministers.
“For instance on the oil and gas issue in Kimanis, Bernard, was very vocal but where were the other Sabah ministers?” he said, adding that many of Sabah plights are the results of their own making such as the depleting assurances in the 20-point agreement.
Jeffrey, the former PKR vice-president who is now partyless, acknowledged he had been switching parties often but defended his action for wanting to stick to his fight to redeem Sabah’s independence based on the 20-point guarantee.
“Yes I have switched parties, but that was because the vehicles I was in, had either veered from my destination, or were not willing to finish the journey, for other reasons.
“But my struggle and objective had always been the same for Sabah. Even before I was in political parties, I voiced out the mistreatment and the 20-point issue and was put under ISA detention when I was still not in a political party.
“My struggle is still the same, while other leaders might not have switched parties often, but their struggle has changed more for self-interest, which is not my fight,” he said.
The maverick politician also said that he might not necessarily be leading a new party, if a component of BN pulls itself out and fully subscribes to his Borneo Agenda, indicating he might even join such a party.
Last month at another UBF function in Entilibon, Telupid, Jeffrey indicated that a new party subscribing to the Borneo Agenda would be formed by March.
Among the parties that may be targetted for fast-track rebirth is the dormant Sabah Democratic People’s Power Party or Setia currently led by little-known Henry Sabagong Rumpit. - FMT
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