KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan yesterday said that the party’s Sook division chief, Datuk Bernard Maraat, had never announced his intention to contest as an independent candidate in the forthcoming general election.
Pairin also said that Maraat had also never mentioned about asking to be nominated as a Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate.
“I was present at the division’s annual general meeting recently and I did not hear anything about Maraat standing as an independent candidate.
“What I knew was that the division had increased its membership.
“There is no action against him because I did not hear Maraat saying anything to that effect,” said Pairin to the media.
He added if there was any PBS member making such a statement, the party would take the normal disciplinary action, including sacking him or her from the party.
When asked whether Maraat is capable of becoming a candidate for Barisan Nasional, Pairin said he would leave it to the central leadership to make the decision.
Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) Sook Youth chief Kahirin Bador in a statement recently, urged Pairin to take action and to sack Maraat from the party for allegedly announcing his intention to contest as an independent candidate in the coming general election if he was not nominated as a BN candidate.
According to Kahirin, the term ‘BN independent candidate’ does not exist as it is the coalition’s practice to sack any member who contests against the BN.
Kahirin had alleged that Maraat, the former PBRS secretary-general who left the party because he was unhappy with not being re-nominated in the last general election, had declared during the division’s annual general meeting recently his intention to contest as an independent candidate for the Sook state seat if he is not nominated for the 13th general election.
He was also alleged to have requested for the Pensiangan parliamentary seat held by PBRS president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup and the Nabawan seat currently held by Datuk Bobbey Suan of UPKO.