Fighting for seats can upset BN’s performance – Gerakan

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KOTA KINABALU: Gerakan Sabah has urged all State Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties to focus their energy and efforts to ensure a major victory for the ruling coalition in Sabah, in the coming general election, instead of fighting among themselves for seats.

Its chairman, Datuk Gordon Leong, made the call yesterday when responding to the hostile remarks made by Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Datuk VK Liew towards Gerakan Sabah on Sunday.

“It is our humble opinion that no one else, except we, BN component ourselves, who could cause a serious upset to BN’s performance in Sabah in the coming general election, if we start fighting among ourselves.

“Hence, we should better focus our energy and efforts to work together solidly and proactively as a single cohesive force to fight against our political enemies which are the opposition parties, as constantly advised by our state and national leaders, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak,” he stressed.

He reiterated that Gerakan Sabah, which is a national based party that has been in Sabah for the last 17 years, shall leave it to the prerogative of the BN top leaderships to decide on its role in the coming general election, instead of clamouring for seats.

“The best and the right thing for us to do now is to offer ourselves to serve the people. We shall concentrate our energy and efforts to continue to listen to and help solve the people’s plights, instead of fighting among ourselves for seats,” he added.

Gordon maintained that as a personal friend as well as a fellow BN colleague, coupled with the ongoing auspicious Chinese New Year festive celebration, he thought that it would not be polite and appropriate nor auspicious for him to engage in political exchange of opinions and views with Liew, adding that the latter was entitled to his opinion.

On a lighter note, he also pointed out as a matter of fact that he and several Gerakan Sabah leaders like youth chief Chang Shui Kiong, assistant secretary-general C S Wong, and Chinese publicity chief Kong Yu Kiong, as a matter of goodwill also celebrated the Chinese New Year with LDP at the LDP Chinese New Year Open House at the Venetian Club on Sunday evening, immediately upon returning from Gerakan National Vice President Tan Sri Datuk Liew Yun Fah’s Chinese New Year Open House held in Tawau, which was attended by the Head of State, and his consort and the Chief Minister and his wife.

Liew when commenting on the statement made recently by Gordon that Gerakan would be vying for the seats left vacant by SAPP and those held by incumbents Au Kam Wah, Datuk Peter Pang En Yin and Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah on Sunday, said when an assemblyman had deserted a party it did not mean the seat would be given away.

“If they (Gerakan) think they can win those seats in the next general election, what about local based parties like the LDP?” Liew asked.

“So, that is my answer. I don’t want to speculate. Even though the YB has left the party it doesn’t mean he can take that seat away from us,” he said.

The LDP president also said that it is time to form a disciplinary committee to monitor BN members involved in acts of sabotage before the next general election.

“I think this concerns all component parties where previously candidates had been put up to take part in the elections with the view to sabotage the candidates chosen by the component parties.

“It is time we should have this committee, and in my party when we were previously faced with acts of sabotage we took our own internal action against those saboteurs,” he added.