No ‘political tsunami’ in Sabah, says PBS

Anwar Ibrahim is inconsequential in Sabah and his feud with Umno won't affect the state, says PBS.

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PSB) has dismissed its former ally’s claim that the KadazanDusun and Murut (KDM) communities in Sabah are no longer with Barisan Nasional.

Rebutting former Upko deputy chief Wilfred Bumburing’s views, PBS information chief Johnny Mositun said there would be no “political tsunami” in Sabah.

He said that playing up the prospect of a political tsunami in Sabah was “another lie made up by the opposition”.

“The fact is the issues that led to the erosion of support for BN in the 2008 general election did not have an impact on Sabah or Sarawak. It is no different today. We remain staunchly pro-BN.

“His [Bumburing's] claims are fanciful and not substantiated by facts, ” he said.

Bumburing recently said that the KDMs in the state were shifting their alliances away from BN and that Sabah would experience the same “tsunami” felt by Peninsular Malaya in 2008.

He made these claims during a DAP organised dinner last Thursday in Labuan.

In his speech, Bumburing, who is Tuaran MP, said he has been travelling extensively in Sabah since July (after his defection from Upko) and was confident that KDM allegiance to BN was shifting rapidly.

Bumburing’s tour around Sabah was to promote his own platform, Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS), which he claimed stood for Sabah rights and Sabah for Sabahans. APS is aligned to peninsula-based Pakatan Rakyat.

Mositun yesterday claimed that ties between BN partners PBS, Upko and PBRS were “intact” and that they were collectively confident that KDMs were still with the coalition.

Commenting on Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, he said the former deputy prime minister was not a factor in Sabah and that his feud with Umno had “negligible” effect on Sabah.

He said it is the local issues which would determine how the people will vote in the next general election.

That being the case, then key local opposition groups – Jeffrey Kitingan’s State Reform Party (STAR) and Sabah Progressive Peoples Party (SAPP) – are on top it.

Many here see Sabah at a crossroads again. The last time it was there was in 1985 when PBS roared in to wrest the reins from Berjaya.

The rumblings of dissatisfaction are similar but the roar this time is coming from the STAR, which is eyeing the KDM seats.

STAR is confident of taking away at least 10 seats from the BN bank. But speculations are rife that the numbers could go up to 14. And this is not counting the other parties which are also confident of winning some seats.

Sabah has 60 state seats which will be up for grabs in the 13th general election.

Sabah EC official is Umno man

Meanwhile, Sabah Umno has a new controversy to deal with involving Umno Kinabatangan Youth information chief Aksyah Nasrah’s position as the deputy director of operations at Sabah Election Commission (EC).

While EC chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusuf saw “nothing wrong” for EC officers to be members of political parties as long as they remained neutral and unbiased when carrying out their duties, PAS feels otherwise.

Said Dewan Pemuda PAS or PAS Youth Assembly committee member Abang Ahmad Kerdee Abang Masagus: “How can he [Abdul Aziz] say that? Article 114 (2) of the Federal Constitution clearly stated the importance of securing an Election Commission which enjoys public confidence.

“This means that the EC should carry out a transparent general election, not favour any one party, and ensure the universal rights of voters and fair competition among political parties and their respective candidates. ”

He said Aksyah’s position in Umno and his role in the Sabah EC was a clear conflict of interest and it was impossible to ensure impartiality.

“The issue here is that Aksyah is a member of a political party and holds an important position there as well as in the EC.

“How can the EC guarantee that he will carry out his duties without bias and professionally?

“Imagine if this was a football game; do you think the spectators will trust the referee?” Ahmad Kerdee asked.

He warned of further action if Aksyah continued to hold both posts.