Kota Kinabalu: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) President Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan said the "lame duck Chief Ministers" statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad only confirmed what the party has been saying all along about the detrimental impact of the rotation system.

"We voiced our opinion on this system since it was incepted in 1994," he said at the PBS 16th anniversary celebration at Airport View Hotel here Monday night. He reiterated that the system was only used as bait for the politicians, especially those who jumped from PBS into Barisan Nasional in 1994 and nothing else. "But they (BN) are themselves now confused as well as giving different views (about the issue) and don't know what to do but just leave it to the PM," he said.

He noted the confirmation by Angkatan Keadilan Rakyat (Akar), one of the State BN component parties, that there was too much politicking in the State plus too many political parties. "The BN components are in disarray," he said. Pairin said the only way was to go back to the Constitution and hold an election to get the people's opinion on this "and the result would settle the issue once and for all." The Prime Minister is expected to announce his decision on the issue anytime now, after meeting with all the respective component party leaders last month.

Meanwhile, Pairin said the Government must take action against those involved in forging ICs which has enabled many illegal immigrants to become Malaysians overnight and be eligible to participate in forming the government. "Those involved in the syndicates must be punished as traitors of the country," he said. He said it was not the intention of PBS to become the enemy of the Federal Government by making such statements "but as Malaysian citizens we have the right". "We hope the PM would accept our views, as he even branded those in the (internet newspaper) MalaysiaKini as traitors," he said.

On the Saham Amanah Sabah's (SAS) poor performance, Pairin said it was the result of bad planning in management of the people's money despite assurances that it would not go down the RM1 level. "But now, it is sitting at around 20 sen (per unit) and is burdening the investors, particularly the poor. What kind of assurance is that?" he asked.

He then advised the younger generation to join PBS, whose struggle and principle are very clear. He said PBS' rising on March 5, 1985, was based on the people's wishes. The party failed to form the government in the 1994 election due to party hopping despite having won it in the first place, he said.