UPKO DEVIATED FROM ITS ORIGINAL STRUGGLE

Oleh : DATUK SERI WILFRED BUMBURING

PERSONALLY, I feel sad that the latest political episode involving the current UPKO leadership and my group had come to a stage where this development have come to an exchange of press statement and releases between myself and Tan Sri Bernard and UPKO.

This all has started when he questioned our sincere decision to leave BN and teamed up with Pakatan Rakyat questioning why I have not directly joined and become a member of one component party of Pakatan Rakyat.

After what I and Tan Sri Bernard Giluk Dompok went through and discussed together, I was wondering why suddenly he get interested in why I didn't joined any opposition political party. Datuk Maijol Mahap explained this in his press statement and I don't intend to repeat what he said as l fully approved and endorsed what he have said.

In our gatherings and road show since my declaration on 29th July 2012 we have never attack UPKO, least of all Tan Sri Bernard because we know that UPKO had never been part of the root cause of the predicatment of our community.

However, to level myself and any Senior Leader of APS or even APS itself as liars is indeed extreme and derogatory. I therefore have no option but to clarify that what Datuk Maijol have stated was true and factual.

Indeed, it is fact that in one of the supreme council meeting Petrus Gurting, the unnamed individual mentioned by Datuk Marcus Mojigoh first raise the issue of UPKO' s position in BN in view of the political situation in the country especially the issue of the illegal immigrant in Sabah.

The resolution taken during the meeting was, and based on the suggestion of the president, was for all supreme council of UPKO to submit their own opinion, stating the pros and cons on the position of UPKO in BN. From what l know, there had never been any submission on this matter nor any follow-up exercise that was carried out.

Meanwhile to clarify on what actually have transpired, I have met Tan Sri Bernard a number of times to seriously discuss the position of UPKO in BN and after several meetings with him, we have come to understand the reason behind my suggestion for UPKO to leave BN.

Infact, l recieve suggestions coming from some UPKO leaders asking me to postpone the July 29 events to give time for UPKO to quit BN as a party. It was also a known fact as reveal to me personally by this senior UPKO leader that he had been tasked to approach all the UPKO supreme council member to get them to support a resolution for UPKO to quit BN.

However, upon his returned from Kuala Lumpur in the first week of August, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok made an announcement at his house that UPKO would stay and remain in BN. Thereafter during UPKO supreme council meeting on August 24, l was made to understand that the issue relating to UPKO's position in BN was never raised.

Let me also clarify that UPKO or originally PDS was mooted and formed in my house at 6:00am one morning in March 1994; I and Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, together, we formed PDS, the predecessor of UPKO.

I love UPKO, but when UPKO deviated from its original struggle, and decided to stay put in BN, it left me and the members of the group that come out of UPKO with no option but to leave UPKO and BN and continue the struggle for our community on another platform.

I sincerely urge all parties to stop this unneccessary denials. I stand firm by what I and Datuk Maijol have said and stated.