Its deputy president, Dr Maximus Ongkili said Sabah was no longer the "Sabah of old" under the successive administration of the USNO, Berjaya and PBS governments because the present BN government has enforced in a short period numerous changes that are detrimental to the welfare of the State.

"During the government days of USNO, Berjaya and PBS the elected leaders of the people could decide for themselves how to govern Sabah, introduce laws that were needed for effective administration, and dissolve the State assembly when it was time to do so. Today these basic functions of government which are provided for in the State constitution are no longer under the sole authority of the Chief Minister and the cabinet," he said.

Dr Ongkili was speaking to PBS Tandek leaders and election workers after chairing a monthly divisional meeting at the party’s office this afternoon.

He was commenting specifically on chief minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok’s recent statement that the right to dissolve the legislative assembly belonged to the state.

"Under the state constitution, the Tuan Yang Terutama has the sole power to dissolve the assembly upon the advice of the chief minister. Today everyone knows that the chief minister can no longer exercise that sole right. He has to receive instructions from Barisan nasional leaders in Kuala Lumpur before he can do anything. Neither would he be willing todo otherwise," he alleged.

The Bandau member of parliament said the lost of autonomy on deciding the election date was one of the principal results of Sabah Baru policies which the Sabah people could do without, aside from other detrimental policies such as the rotation of the chief minister’s post.

Dr Ongkili also took to task the chief minister for his statement that the BN government has been successful in achieving economic recovery in the state, arguing that the economy today was in worse condition than during the PBS era.

"How can there be economic recovery when the wholesale and retail sectors in all towns are depressed, hotels and restaurants are losing money, price of basic necessities spiralled as never before, contractors are owed enormous money by the government while smaller contractors cannot even find any job to do?" he asked.

He said the "day of judgment" for the BN government was coming nearer, claiming that the people of Sabah will return PBS to clean up the mess created by the present government.