PRESS
RELEASE
RANAU,
5 JULY 1997
PDS
VICE PRESIDENT REJOIN PBS
RANAU,
Sat. – Parti Demokratik Sabah (PDS) Vice-President Dr Osman
Menudin today announced his resignation from the party and submitted
his application to rejoin Parti Bersatu Sabah as an ordinary member.
PBS
president Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan received Dr Osman’s application
together with 568 other former members of UMNO, AKAR and PDS from
18 kampungs in the Ranau and Kundasang constituencies.
The
membership applications were handed over before a crowd of about
700 PBS leaders and members who attended the joint-opening of
PBS Ranau and Kundasang divisions' AGM at the Dewan Serbaguna
Kg Marakau near here.
Dr
Osman who was the Barisan Nasional candidate for the Kinabalu
parliamentary seat in the 1995 General Elections said he decided
to leave the Barisan Nasional because of its failure to fulfill
the promises of development to the people of Sabah.
"When
PDS was formed it was supposed to represent the Kadazandusun and
Murut communities in the BN and secure development projects for
our people. As everyone knows the BN promised in 1994 a new Sabah
whereby by building new roads, schools, hospitals, housing and
other basic infrastructure. I waited three years for these promises
to be fulfilled but they were not forthcoming. I could no longer
explain the situation to the communities that we were supposed
to represent in the BN", he explained in his speech.
Dr
Osman said he could have left PDS earlier but as a leader he also
wanted to pursue development for the non-bumiputra communities
through the Barisan Nasional, stressing that he did not want to
stop half-way.
"But
after I have gone all the way within the BN, I found out that
the struggle was a waste of time because the so-called pursuit
of development did not bear fruit. I have no option but to leave
PDS", he said
The
one-time PDS Youth Chief also said he was misled into believing
that the formation of PDS had the blessings of Datuk Pairin.
"The
PDS senior leaders kept on saying that the party’s formation was
initiated by Datuk Pairin. We found out later that this was not
true. The PDS struggle is a wrong struggle because it is not a
true struggle for the people. The party’s struggle is just a struggle
for its leaders", he claimed.
According
to Dr Osman, he decided to return to the PBS because it is the
only party that is sincere in struggling for the rights of the
people of Sabah, adding that "I am confident the people of Sabah
will return PBS as the rightful government in the next State election".
He
further said that more PDS leaders and members in Kundasang and
Ranau will join PBS in the months ahead.
Meanwhile
Datuk Pairin in welcoming Dr Osman and his supporters said the
people should always be wary of the BN’s style of politics which
advocates a "divide and rule" policy.
"Since
1963 successive governments in Sabah for most of the time were
members of the Barisan Nasional. Promises of development such
as the Sabah Baru promises were made since Sabah became part of
Malaysia. The BN will always make promises but not sincere in
fulfilling them", he alleged.
The
function was attended by a large number of PBS Supreme Council
members and divisional chiefs, including deputy presidens Dr Maximus
Ongkili, Tuan Haji Malek Chua and Datuk Wong Phin Chung, Secretary
General Radin Malleh, Kinabalu MP Henrynus Amin and Penampang
MP Paul Nointein.
