PBS defends its sterilised role in BN

Fielding accusations of 'play acting' over the illegal immigrants issue, party says it has been 'consistent and sincere' in its stand

KOTA KINABALU: The irony of being in power but being powerless is taking a toll on Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).

The party has now been reduced to fending off accusations by the opposition that they are in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition merely to make up the numbers.

PBS information chief Johnny Mositun said yesterday that the party has always been “consistent and sincere in its efforts to get the illegal immigrants problem resolved”.

However, the opposition said that despite nine years in government, PBS leaders have failed to move the issue forward despite joining the BN “to work from the inside” to solve the problem.

Mositun, a deputy speaker in the state legislative assembly, said the party’s position on the matter was the same as when PBS was in the opposition and also when it rejoined the ruling coalition.

“It is absurd to accuse PBS and Joseph Pairin Kitingan of ‘play acting’ on this matter. We’ve always been serious about the illegal immigrants issue ,” said Mositun.

He was responding to an accusation by SAPP vice-president Chong Pit Fah that Pairin was not sincere when he said that there was merit in the suggestion for the federal government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the problem in Sabah.

A defensive Mositun said there was no need for Chong to point out that Sabah’s population had seen an extraordinary growth between 1970 and 2005.

“People like Pit Fah have only come to learn about this in recent times, but Pairin and many senior politicians, both opposition and government members, knew about this long ago.

“They protested about it and brought the issue to the public’s attention long before people like Pit Fah even knew or understood what was going on.

“It is an absurdity and sheer arrogance on Pit Fah’s part to imply that Pairin didn’t know the reason for Sabah’s extraordinary population growth between 1970-2005,” said Mositun.

Issuance of Mykads

Mositun said Chong, who was once a PBS member, had no real knowledge or understanding of what went on among the senior PBS leadership then.

“At the time, Radin Malleh, Jeffrey Kitingan and Chong Eng Leong were very vocal and outspoken in their criticism of the BN and the federal government, especially over the PTI, phantom voters and issuance of MyKads to foreigners under dubious circumstances.

“As their boss Pairin unreservedly backed them to the hilt despite the political cost to himself and PBS. It is infantile to say that Pairin distanced himself from the issue or was not sincere about it,” said Mositun.

He added that Chong used Dr Chong Eng Leong’s parting of ways with PBS to back up his contention that Pairin sacked Dr Chong for harping on the illegal immigrants issue.

“That shows how little (Chong) Pit Fah really knows. Chong Eng Leong was not sacked. He resigned of his own accord.

“Dr Chong and PBS both agreed that the federal government must act immediately to put an end to phantom voters and clean up the electoral rolls, stop the issuance of MyKads to illegals, detain and deport them and punish those guilty of complicity in treasonous acts.

“They (PBS and Pairin) only had differences of view over the manner in which Dr Chong was doing things, and eventually he resigned,” said Mositun.

Mositun said to set the record straight it should be made known that Radin Malleh was the person officially tasked by PBS to research the PTI issue and prepare a detailed report, which was then presented in parliament in 2002.

“Additionally, one of the first things PBS did after rejoining the BN was to present a detailed memorandum on the PTI issue to the then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“It is also on record that PBS had lodged numerous reports with the police asking for the matter to be investigated,” added Mositun. Mositun accused SAPP of lying and misrepresenting the facts.

“The BN has 13 component parties in its fold but SAPP picks only on Pairin and PBS.

“It’s obviously (SAPP president) Yong Teck Lee’s agenda is to spite Pairin who did not bow to his demands when they were comrades in arms in PBS.

“He is also angry that PBS is today a respected member of the BN and SAPP are out in the political wilderness,” said Mositun. - FMT