Jeffrey Kitingan not leaving Star Sabah for PCS

So far, Star has never deviated from the struggle for Borneo rights and there’s no need therefore for Jeffrey to abandon the party.

KOTA KINABALU: Star National Deputy Secretary-General and Star Sabah Secretary, Guandee Kohoi, has clarified media speculation that his party chief in Sabah, Jeffrey Kitingan, declined to be on the move again and this time in the direction of the newly-launched Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS). “The media reports claim that Jeffrey declined to lead PCS which it seems had his blessing when he was PKR Vice-President and Ketua Umum (de facto leader) PKR Sabah and Sarawak.”

“Jeffrey is consistent as far as the struggle for Borneo rights is concerned,” said Guandee. “There’s no reason for him to leave Star since the party has never deviated so far from the struggle for Borneo rights.”

“He left many parties before because eventually these parties fell by the wayside and abandoned the struggle for Borneo rights. So, he had no choice but to leave them and look for another vehicle which was willing to subscribe to Borneo Rights.”

Guandee was referring to Jeffrey, also Bingkor assemblyman, having the dubious distinction of being “King of the Frogs”. Jeffrey, in a previous take acknowledging his dubious distinction, pointed out that he had always been “a good frog”. “A good frog is one that sticks to the struggle through thick and thin,” said Jeffery who has been noted for accusing the Federal Government for being in non-compliance on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

Guandee argued that Jeffrey’s persistence all these years on the struggle for Borneo rights was paying off. “Jeffrey, along with Foreign Minister Anifah Aman and others, even met with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak recently on the return of Full Autonomy to Sabah and Sarawak.”

Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem, he said, subsequently followed up and the Prime Minister has since agreed that “Sabah and Sarawak should have greater powers by way of devolution, beginning with the transfer of some Federal Departments in the two Borneo nations to the control of locals and/or the Sabah and Sarawak Governments.”

Guandee explained that Star was a unique party with a unique Constitution. “The Constitution was designed to avoid the in-fighting and power struggle which continues to plague other parties,” he said in clarifying media reports on the issue. “Star does not need to open many branches or sign up members.”

“What’s important is that we have activists and cadres and many supporters. The Star symbol is registered with the Election Commission (EC) and we can place our candidates in any seat in the country.”

It has been reliably learnt from party insiders that the initial plan was for Jeffrey to be Ketua Umum of PCS while Tamparuli assemblyman Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing takes over as President from Dr. Nicholas Guntabon. Nicholas is a Jeffrey protégé.

Apparently Jeffrey had second thoughts about leaving Star after he came to know that Kuching-based Dr. Patau Rubis, Star Founder and Ketua Umum, may hand over control of Star Sabah to a young leader in Kota Kinabalu should the Bingkor assemblyman abandon it for PCS. Bumburing, it’s learnt, may “return” to PKR, a party he never joined but stood under its ticket in 2013.