KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan has called on the Barisan Nasional (BN) to ensure that the principle of consensus decision making is rigorously maintained.
If this is not done, Pairin said he feared that it could cause the BN to break up as the consensus principle strengthens and bonds the coalition.
“That is very crucial (and) very important because this consensual decision brings about a feeling of sincerity, respectability and commitment which strengthens and bonds the BN together. Now, if that were to be destroyed, then it is not going to be the same and will lead to the break-up of BN because it will allow a free-for-all situation,” he stressed when met at the PBS Inanam annual general meeting yesterday.
Pairin was commenting on Luyang assemblyman Dr Hiew King Cheu joining BN through MCA, which party president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai reportedly said had the blessings of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman.
On whether MCA’s decision to accept Hiew had the consensus of BN component parties, Pairin said it was very obvious it was not done with the consensus of the other component parties.
He said PBS secretary general Datuk Johnny Mositun had already made his statement to explain that there ought to be a consensus because that is the principle right from before.
“Even with the Prime Minister and Chief Minister’s blessings, the decision must be by consensus which means that everyone must agree to it.
“And what happened when PBS tried to take in Datuk John Ghani was very clear in that it must be with the consensus, (and) because Umno objected we had to let go. The same principle must apply here. That is very crucial, very important, because this consensual decision brings about a feeling of sincerity, respectability, commitment which strengthens and bonds BN together.
“Now if that is going to be destroyed, then it is not going to be the same and will allow for the break-up of BN because it will allow for a free-for-all situation and what has happened here was done outside of the consensus, in other words, (it was) unethically done,” he opined.
According to Pairin, the principle of consensus also played a part in PBS’s re-entry into BN because if a single component had objected to it, PBS would not have been allowed to join the coalition.
“Therefore, this spirit has to be maintained,” he stressed.
Pairin also questioned why MCA was insistent on accepting Hiew into the party.
“Is it because they could not win many seats in Peninsular? And why is it that when they were given a chance to contest in (Batu) Gelugor they did not do so? What are all these implications? It is not something good, rather it is something confusing to the other BN component members,” he stressed.
Pairin also said that PBS would be writing to the BN central leadership on the matter and the contents of the letter would emphasize on the principle of consensus decision.
“I will be airing the matter during the BN Supreme Council meeting and in fact I have said it in the BN Supreme Council meeting last month. I am not the only one talking about it as there were other component members stressing on this consensus decision also,” he said.