Upko left BN to fulfil aspirations of Sabahans – Mojuntin

0

Datuk Donald P. Mojuntin

KOTA KINABALU: United Pasokmomogun KadazanDusun Murut Organisation (Upko) left the Barisan Nasional (BN) to fulfil the aspirations of majority of Sabahans, said its secretary-general, Datuk Donald P. Mojuntin.

“Let me make it even clearer. Upko made the decision to leave BN and this collective decision was made after a lengthy deliberation by its Supreme Council in the wee morning of May 10, where all members present were given the opportunity to state their respective views,” said Donald in a statement yesterday.

“Remember this, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) also left BN. So Maximus’ outburst is perplexing to say the least,” he contended.

“For Upko, the decision was not made lightly but in the end it was made giving priority to the practical continuation of the party’s struggle and its ‘halatuju’ and its members.

Equally important, that decision was also in line with the wishes and aspirations of the majority of the people in Sabah, as per the 60% popular votes against BN in GE14,” Donald explained.

Furthermore, this decision was supported unanimously by delegates representing all Upko divisions in a legally constituted Extraordinary General Meeing held on May 26, he added.

“As one of our division leaders said, Maximus’ attack on Upko is akin to the Malay saying, ‘Tidak pandai menari, menyalahkan lantai’ (Blaming the floor for not knowing how to dance). The GE14 result where PBS itself lost three parliamentary seats out of four and lost seven state seats out of 13, clearly shows the majority of Sabahans were against the old regime of BN,” he pointed out.

This same trend is obviously true at federal level as Pakatan Harapan convincingly and soundly defeated BN, said Donald.

“This is the political reality now and it is time for PBS to realise this. Instead of finding fault with Upko, as the de facto PBS leader Maximus should instead pay more attention to consolidating PBS’ position and relevancy as a political party with the interest of its members and Sabahans in general in mind.

“It is time for all sides to stop these unnecessary ‘mud-slinging’ and practise a more mature form of politics. Let us focus and prioritise on delivering the best for our people and for our beloved State,” he concluded.

Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili, who is PBS deputy president, had said that political frogs, and not the lack of support for BN, were to blame for the change of the Sabah state government following the May 9 polls.

He said the culture of “jumping ships” was long practised by Upko, the BN party which joined forces with Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal to form the state government.

“They made BN and PBS supporters opposition. And now, they face all the discrimination and injustice practised by the Warisan-led state government,” said Maximus, the Kota Marudu MP.

He said BN Sabah had the majority to form the state government with its 29 seats plus two seats from State Reform Party (STAR).

“Let’s be clear. Warisan didn’t win the state election. It just happened that beyond all expectations, Upko decided to ditch the BN coalition, after winning their five seats on the BN symbol, flags and manifesto. This is totally an unprincipled act,” he said.