Banaran (third right) with APS leaders.
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) vice-chairman for Nabawan division, Ismail Banaran, 59, has resigned and joined Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS).
APS information chief Lesaya Lopog said Ismail quit from his post effective January 31 when he personally handed his letter of resignation to the PBS head office.
Lopog, who announced this in a statement yesterday, added Banaran officially joined APS the following day.
Banaran said he had lost confidence in the capability of the PBS leadership in pursuing the struggle of the Kadazandusun-Murut (KDM) community based on the original struggles that resulted in the formation of PBS in early 1980s.
“Banaran, who was among the first Murut to join PBS when it was first formed to face the might of the Berjaya-BN government then, said that the first gathering of PBS was held at his house in Topokon Tamparuli and since then he had been an active member of PBS and a PBS divisional committee member in Nabawan as his last post was that of vice-chairman I which he had held since 2006 until he relinquished it last Thursday,” said Lopog.
Banaran, a retiree, and who is expected to be appointed the Nabawan APS chairman, said he would help to strengthen the APS Nabawan division and formulate a programme to relay to the Murut community their aspirations and struggles by supporting the Malaysian Agenda for Sabah and Sarawak which has been adopted by APS, an NGO that is now aligned to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
“I strongly believe that APS is the only channel where our native community, especially the Muruts of which I belong, can voice out their grievances and where we can positively believe that our future direction will clearly be given the brightest attention,” he said.