PBS TANDEK STRONGMAN JUMPS TO STAR

KOTA MARUDU: One of Datuk Maximus Ongkili’s strongman, the vice chairman of his PBS Tandek division, has jumped ship and joined STAR.

In a gathering in Tandek, near here, organized by STAR Tandek division last Friday, Mazuin Ganau declared his resolution to leave PBS and join STAR in front of STAR Sabah chairman, Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan and a 300-odd audience. The gathering was a continuation of STAR’s “Selamatkan Sabah Tanah Airku” campaign which was just launched in Kota Kinabalu.

“I have lost confidence in the struggle of PBS due to many factors,” Mazuin said. “The main one being the revelations in testimonies made by many people in the on-going RCI, which prove beyond doubt that BN leaders had deliberately issued ICs to illegals. PBS is now guilty of associating itself in this conspiracy, and it has become very quiet about the whole thing.”

He also expressed his disappointment with the Maximus for failing to resolve the longstanding land dispute in the area which had victimized a lot of the local land applicants. He said after many years it looks like the huge land area will eventually go into the hands of a company from outside Sabah.

Asked if there are any followers who will join him in STAR, Mazuin said he was in the process of collection the application forms from many PBS members who have decided to join STAR. “The total number should reach a few hundred,” he said. “We will have another function for the handing over of the application forms.”

On this, the STAR Information Chief, Edward Linggu (insert), said this is just the beginning of more BN members joining STAR in part to prove that STAR is not breaking apart as claimed by the chief of Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) chief, Datuk Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing.

“We have been made to understand that numerous PBS members are very disillusioned with their party especially after the revelations in the on-going RCI,” Linggu said. “Many are saying PBS is toothless in BN and unable to fight for the interests of the KDMs.

“And the announcement made by (PBS’ president, Tan Sri) Pairin that he was retiring from politics soon had also demoralized a lot of PBS members who feel that without Pairin the party will decline further,” Edward said. “And it is worth noting that Mazuin is a cousin of Datuk Maijol Mahap, the APS chief for Kota Marudu.”

Also in attendance was STAR Tandek's Division Chief, Albert Majilang and the gathering's chief organizer Manjamis Tambou.