STAR willing to ‘cooperate’ not ‘work under’ Pakatan

Former Upko deputy president Wilfred Bumburing, now APS chief, has been urged to be realistic in his strategy to contest all KDM seats.

KOTA KINABALU: The State Reform Party (STAR) Sabah chapter has officially conveyed to Anwar Ibrahim that it is “agreeable” to Pakatan Rakyat components contesting in Sabah to topple Barisan Nasional federal and state governments.

STAR information chief Edward Linggu said while STAR would “cooperate” with the Pakatan coalition, it was not willing to “work under them”.

“This [stand] has been conveyed by our chairman in writing recently to the top leadership in Pakatan including Anwar.

“In our official letter, we have also conveyed that while we suggest that Pakatan focuses on seats in the Peninsula, we are agreeable to Pakatan components contesting in Sabah to achieve a 1:1 contest to bring down BN,” he said.

Linggu was responding to Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) president Wilfred Bumburing’s comment last week that “it is difficult to talk to Sabah STAR”. Bumburing had also inferred that APS should be left to lead the charge in the KDM-majority seats.

According to Linggu, Pakatan component parties have been in direct discussions with STAR on seats distribution in Sabah.

“Obviously Bumburing is not aware of this [direct discussion]. How will he be able to look after Sabah’s rights and interests when he is not officially inside Pakatan?

“He will have no say and unable to sway even Sabah PKR as he is an outsider to Sabah Pakatan,” said Linggu.

Urging Bumburing to be “realistic”, Linggu claimed neither APS nor Bumburing had the capacity to contest in all KDM seats in the coming general election.

“He [Bumburing] must not be over-confident of its [APS] capability. People are saying he is just a small fish in a big pond but thinks he is a giant and demands to contest all the KDM seats.

“Even if he had taken on the entire Upko, he is in no position to demand for all the KDM seats,” he said, alluding to Bumburing’s previous role in Upko as its deputy president.

Bumburing, who is Tuaran MP, defected in July last year. He immediately set up APS and pledged support for Anwar and Pakatan but refused to become a member of any party within the coalition.

STAR not affected by Sindu’s exit
Linggu also warned Bumburing that he is unlikely to win without STAR’s support in Tuaran, as the local communities there will reject BN and APS in the coming election.

STAR recently lost its Papar chief, Patrick Sindu. Disillusioned Sindu went on to join PKR and took with him his followers.

Linggu said Sindu’s exit has not shattered STAR in Papar or in Tuaran.

“Our Papar division is not dissolved and has emerged stronger. In any event, how can one weak leader who has left the party have the legal authority to dissolve the division?” he said.

“We would like to advise Bumburing to look after his own house and there is no need to worry about STAR’s full house of 26 divisions [including Labuan] and 60 DUNs which APS doesn’t even come close.

Linggu also refuted Bumburing’s criticism of STAR’s Borneo Agenda which he (Bumburing) described as “parochial and anti-Malaya”.

“Borneo Agenda is about the rights of Sabah and Sarawak and is not anti-Malaya or parochial.

“It is different from the ‘Malaya Agenda’ which is about the internal control, colonisation of Sabah and the siphoning of Sabah’s rich resources, oil and gas and revenue.

“The Borneo Agenda advocated by STAR is about seeking and restoring Sabah’s rights and autonomy and to manage its own rich resources.

“Treating Sabah as a colony and fixed deposit and taking 95% of Sabah’s oil revenue and 100% of its federal revenue is no longer acceptable,” he explained.

Linggu said that Bumburing’s statement as such demonstrated that he is not able to fight for Sabah’s rights, has failed to grasp the issues facing it as well as misunderstood STAR’s struggle.