Trouble in PBS over falling popularity

The cracks began to surface three days before the April 20 nomination day when PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan announced the party’s candidates.

KOTA KINABALU: As the dust of the general elections’ settles, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) are pointing fingers at each other for Barisan Nasional’s defeat in the Inanam state constituency.

There are also emerging signs that PBS Inanam, which had never been defeated since the 1985 general election, have split into two groups each trying their best to get as much of the party’s 51 polling districts (markas) to support them.

The cracks began to surface three days before the April 20 nomination day when PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan announced the party’s candidates.

Pairin initially named then incumbent Johnny Goh as the party’s candidate but two days later reversed his decision, dropping Goh and naming the relatively unknown Joseph Paulus Lantip in his place.

Goh, a three-term assemblyman did not protest but several of his divisional leaders did not hide their disappointment and appealed but were ignored.

Lantip went on to file his nomination papers and was soundly defeated by newcomer for PKR, Dr Roland Chia Ming Shen.

Lantip polled 5,724 against the dentist’s 8,926. The third candidate Sabah Progressive Party deputy president Eric Enchin Majimbun, then incumbent Sepanggar MP, garnered 5,003 votes.

As soon as the election results were known, splits in the Inanam PBS Division became wider between those supporting Goh and those supporting Pairin’s choice, Lantip.

Division in a mess

It has also emerged that the party’s 51 polling district agents filed complaints against Goh’s group for not throwing their full support behind Lantip during the campaign period.

His group want Goh and his loyal supporters booted out of the division but the party’s disciplinary committee has insisted on keeping Goh as its divisional chief.

Beside being the division’s chairman, Goh is also a PBS supreme council member.

A divisional leader told FMT that the division is in a mess but those loyal to Goh are keeping control until the party’s election next year.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said that those who want to see changes in the divisional level leadership could contest posts, including against the division’s chief, during the  party’s election.

He said he doubted action could be taken against Goh and his supporters for failing to back Lantip and even if they wanted to, the worst scenario would be suspending the Inanam PBS division leaders and placing its administration under the PBS headquarters until the party’s election.