TUARAN: Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Bumburing regrets that Tuaran PKR chief Ansari Abdullah had accused him of ‘hijacking’ the Letters of Authorization meant for the party’s candidates in the 13th general election.
In fact, it is APS’ seat that was hijacked, Bumburing told reporters here yesterday.
“It was announced in Kuala Lumpur that Benson Inggam is the candidate for Kuamut … we have already decided and agreed on it during a meeting in Kuala Lumpur and Benson’s name was even published in the newspapers but it was changed at the last minute.
“Even though I am very angry that the seat was hijacked but in the principle of unity in Pakatan, we stuck to the leadership’s decision. Benson had the local standi to contest as an independent because his name had been announced but he chose not to.
“This is embarrassing, that is hijack and I said that Benson should resign from APS and stand as an independent candidate but he chose not to do so,” he said, adding that the meeting in Kuala Lumpur was held two days before the nomination.
Ansari’s statement therefore is not correct and totally inappropriate, Bumburing stressed, adding that the question of grabbing the seats from Ansari did not arise.
On the Authorization Letter, Bumburing pointed out that he left Kuala Lumpur for Sabah after the candidates’ name list was announced but had not been issued with the letter allowing him and APS candidates to contest using the PKR logo.
“After the final list of candidates was announced at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, I came back. The letter was not yet issued. Only at midnight did I receive a call from Datuk Kong Hong Ming informing me that I can collect the letter from him the next day, Friday.
“So how can there be a hijack?” the Tuaran incumbent asked.
He also said that Ansari had been wrong to accuse him of ‘stealing’ his seat as the latter had rejected the offer to contest in the Sulaman state seat.
“I talked to him and said he should contest in Sulaman but he refused. We had this conversation in front of Anwar but he said that he wants to ‘give’ the Sulaman seat to somebody named Mokhtar who is not ready to become a candidate … Ansari refused, he rejected it,” he said.
To a question of whether he felt that PKR was unfair to Ansari because they did not choose him to become a candidate, Bumburing replied, “Ansari was offered Sulaman but he rejected the offer.
“We asked him in front of Anwar but he said he wants to give it to someone else. He wants Tamparuli. He said if he does not get Tamparuli, he is out.
“How can he say that I grabbed the seat when I am the incumbent? I brought the seat out of BN into Pakatan,” he explained.
“I am APS president with Pakatan, and Tamparuli and Kiulu, which are KDM-based areas, if we don’t get, I told Anwar, will affect the whole KDM seats because I am given the task of bringing the KDM support to Pakatan.
“Now if we don’t take Tamparuli as APS seat, then our opponents like UPKO and PBS will say ‘look at APS president, couldn’t even get a seat in his own area. So it was on this rationale that a decision was made, Tamparuli for APS,” he said.