Jeffrey’s party pulling in the crowds

Star is engaging people across Sabah with a promise that "change has come".

KENINGAU: The Sabah chapter of the State Reform Party (Star) has been attracting thousands to its ceramahs (talks) in an indication that state Barisan Nasional (BN) parties are losing supporters.

The most recent well-attended talk was at the joint-launching of the Keningau, Tenom and Pensiangan branches here on Saturday where more than 2,000 turned up to cheer party leader Jeffrey Kitingan.

Kitingan, who ditched PKR a year ago and was party-less until last month when he brought Star from Sarawak, has managed to attract leaders from other political parties to his party.

Yesterday, PKR head for Pensiangan, Danny Andipai, a Murut, handed over his application form to Kitingan saying he had lost confidence in the peninsular-based opposition party as Kuala Lumpur still made all the important decisions.

“PKR leaders in Kuala Lumpur are the ones who call the shots and this is not what Sabahans want. So I quit and am joining Jeffrey in this struggle through a local party,” he said after handing over his application.

Sabah DAP has not been spared. It lost chairman for Tanjung Aru branch, Dr Felix Chong Kat Fah, when he too handed over his application form to Kitingan at the function.

Chong, a former director of Sandakan Duchess of Kent Hospital, was also Sabah DAP’s chairman for its state Medical and Health Advisory Bureau.

In his resignation letter sent to DAP secretary general, Lim Guan Eng, two days ago, Chong, 44, also announced the dissolution of DAP’s Tanjung Aru branch.

A former supreme council member of Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), lawyer Martin Tommy has also joined Star and he was spotted at the function yesterday wearing a Star shirt mingling with state Star leaders.

Overwhelming support

Star coordinator for Liawan, Dr Nicholas James Guntobon, who was also the organising chairman for the weekend event expressed confidence that the people from the interior divisions of the state were supportive of the party.

“Today we are creating a history. Change has come and we know what the people want is liberation from this colonial-style government which hears not its own people,” he said.

Kitingan in his speech urged Sabahans regardless of ethnic and religious background to unite and rally behind Star and his Borneo Agenda which he claimed had been accepted across Sabah.

“I am very happy today and your overwhelming support will spur us to reclaim and restore our state rights as well as rights of the people.

“We also thank pro-tem Usno leaders for rallying under the banner of United Borneo Alliance (UBA) and all those who believe that unity is duty in order to save Sabah and the people from being further marginalised,” he said in his speech peppered with facts about how Sabahans had been disenfranchised by Malayan parties.

At times Kitingan appeared overwhelmed by emotion because of the enthusiastic crowd who earlier gave him a standing ovation when he was called to the deliver his launching speech.

Sabah Star leaders stood side-by-side behind him throughout his hour-long speech. Also seen were Usno deputy president, Abdullah Sani Salleh and its women’s wing chief Leong Chau Chu and Dr Chong.

Earlier, the crowd was worked up by a fiery-speech from Star coordinator for Sook, Drs Kustin Ladi, a serving teacher known for his oratory.