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PRESS
RELEASE
In
Kota Kinabalu, 6 April 1998
PBS
OPERASI TURUN PADANG
KOTA
KINABALU – PBS President, Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan, today
launched the "Operasi Turun Padang", a special operation initiated
Parti Bersatu Sabah under its Muslim Task Force as an early preparation
for the state general election expected late this year.
Pairin
who was speaking during the function at Golfview Restaurant this
morning said PBS was established in 1985 basically as a multi racial
political party without differentiating the Malaysian people based
on racial or religious background.
He
said PBS political struggle is based purely on the principles of
justice and democracy.
Pairin
said that if the people realize that they are one big family, they
will learn to love their country which they formed together,"
"Sabah
is our place of birth and as well as our resting place," he said.
"Therefore
when we think of our state rights, we need to cooperate to protect
them," he added.
According
to Pairin, there are certain people trying to erode Sabah’s state
rights.
"If
it is not true, why then the people of Sabah still unsatisfied after
35 years of independence," he asked.
Pairin
claimed there were propaganda from certain quarters which did not
want the people of Sabah united and one tactic employed by these
groups to disunite the people was by continuously harping on the
issue of PBS being anti Islam and anti federal.
Pairin
reiterated that from the very beginning PBS was never anti Islam
or anti federal.
He
said during its early rule, PBS tried to explain its struggle to
the Muslim community in order to attract them to join its noble
objectives but unfortunately it was not successful to attract the
more established Muslim leaders.
Pairin
said that PBS successfully forged a coalition between PBS and USNO
in 1993, but he said USNO was subsequently deregistered. "Why was
it declared deregistered?" he asked.
Pairin
reminded PBS members to be wary of certain propaganda by Barisan
Nasional.
"If
we are influenced by these negative propaganda without knowing it,
the situation can get even worst," he said.
Pairin
said PBS has done a lot to attract support from the Muslim community.
He
said in the past, PBS has appointed Muslim leaders into certain
positions such as state assemblymen, senators, and so on and increased
allocation for Muis.
"Unfortunately,
these people worked merely for themselves," he said.
There
were areas where PBS found it difficult to penetrate in the past
because of the negative propaganda that PBS is anti Islam and anti
Federal.
"Nonetheless,
thanks to God Almighty the last 4 years have created new awareness
of the real situation and with the help of our Muslim leaders in
PBS, there have been more and more new members from the Muslim community
from these areas joining our noble struggle to protect our state
rights," he said.
Pairin
said the state general election is just around the corner and reminded
Muslim leaders in PBS to work closely with other leaders in PBS
to explain to the people in general about PBS noble objectives.
Meanwhile,
Pairin explained that the "operasi turun padang" is a political
operation planned and initiated by Parti Bersatu Sabah to explain
to the Muslim community the basic concept of PBS political struggle.
The
"operasi turun padang" headed Tuan Haji Abdul Malek Chua, who is
the Chairman of the Muslim Task Force, also include 15 PBS Muslim
Supreme Council members and Youth leaders and 35 other PBS Muslim
leaders as volunteers.
Also
present during the function were Deputy Presidents, Dr Maximus J
Ongkili and Datuk Wong Phin Chung, PBS Secretary General, Radin
Malleh, and PBS Information Chief, Henrynus Amin, PBS Supreme Council
members and other PBS Divisional Chiefs.
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