Dompok denies Bumburing has quit Upko

United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) president Bernard Dompok has described the rumour that its deputy president Wilfred Bumburing had quit the party as "purely rumour and speculation" designed to confuse the people ahead of the impending general election.      

"He is a friend of mine and a member of the party and my deputy. I have just spoken to him and he sounded out that there is this type of things being circulated but it was not true," he told reporters after attending the handing over ceremony of "Projek Baik Pulih Rumah Penduduk" at Kampung Putaton, near Penampang today.     

Dompok, who is also Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, was asked to comment on speculation the past few weeks that Bumburing, who has been calling on the federal government to resolve the illegal immigrants problem in Sabah, had left the party to join non-governmental group Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (AMM) which is headed by former Finance Minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.      

Asked whether Upko had already submitted its list of candidates to the chief minister or prime minister, he said the party had yet to.     

"We have submitted to the Barisan Nasional (BN) where we think we should be and that's as far as we have gone so far.     

"The time has not come for us to submit names but it will not be a difficult thing to do. I think the Barisan Nasional requires each component party to submit not just one name, but perhaps three names for each constituency and we can even submit four or five names," he said.

‘Relook seat allocation formula’

Meanwhile Penampang Umno chief John Ambrose said there is a need for the BN to relook its formula on the allocation of seats to the various component parties for the general election, said    

He opined that the BN should do away with the usual practice of re-allocating seats to component parties contested by them in the last general election.     

"This practice is doing more harm than good for the BN. Under the standard practice, regardless of whether that component party has a winnable candidate or not, it will still be given the chance to contest again.     

"This will not only make these parties complacent, knowing whether they work or not, the seats will still be theirs," he told reporters in Kota Kinabalu today.     

Ambrose said this would demoralise other component parties, especially members, who have been working hard in the area for their whole life and "yet the party they are in was never given a chance to contest".     

SPDP chief stays uncontested

In neighbouring Sarawak, as expected, there were only two changes for top posts at the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party's (SPDP) Ninth Triennial General Assembly in Bintulu today.     

Former treasurer-general Tiong King Sing is now the new deputy president succeeding Peter Nyarok Entri who has been appointed its honorary life president.     

Tiong, Bintulu  member of parliament, is also the chairman of the federal BN backbencher club.     

Replacing him as the new treasurer-general was Senator Pau Chiong Ing.      

Party president William Mawan who has held the post for more than eight years, was also retained as president, uncontested.  

Deputy Home Minister Jelaing Mersat now joins Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industries, Jacob Sagan who is Baram member of parliament, as the senior vice-president.     

The four vice-presidents are Meluan state assemblyman Wong Judat, Roland Dom Matu and Zainuddin Hamdan, a pilot.     

A statement from the election committee said some of the candidates who had been nominated had withdrawn from the contests.     

Meanwhile, at their joint assembly earlier on, SPDP Wanita Chief Chiew Yen Chew and its Youth Chief Robert Ayu also retained their respective posts.     

- Bernama