PBS: Upko failed to deliver the last time
Tuesday, 27 January, 2004 (Source: Daily Express)

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) said its rival claimant for Kadazandusun-Murut votes, Upko, does not have a monopoly on ethnic support and, therefore, has no basis to ask for all the predominant Kadazandusun and Murut (KDM) seats in the imminent State election.

Its Information chief Henrynus Amin said Upko was given the chance to contest in the KDM majority areas in the last election but failed to deliver.

“Except for the two seats with the help of other BN component political parties, Upko failed in the last election,” he said in a statement.

Upko President Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said on Sunday that it was only fair for his party to be accorded the seats since it was the only party within the State Barisan Nasional that truly represented the KDM race.

Upko currently has three Members of Parliament, namely Dompok (Kinabalu), Wilfred Madius Tangau (Tuaran) and Philip Lasimbang (Penampang).

It also has three Assemblymen in Datuk Wences Angang (Kuala Penyu), Datuk Siringan Gubat (Kundasang) and Datuk Clarence Bongkos Malakun (Moyog).

Malakun, won his seat on a PBS ticket but switched to Upko a few months before the former re-joined Barisan in January, 2002.

Multi-racial PBS has laid claim to the 17 seats it won in the last election and wants 3-5 of the new seats in the expanded 60-seat Assembly.

Meanwhile, Henrynus said Malakun’s remarks urging voters not to listen to political leaders who are not from Penampang was politically immature and smacked of arrogance.

“It is very wrong for him to accuse political leaders from other districts, particularly Tambunan, of having pushed Penampang leaders out of their leadership role,” he said.

He said political leaders, irrespective of their origins are respected for their leadership qualities such as consistency, integrity, vision and principles.

“It will be interesting to know whether Upko will stand by Malakun’s statement.

“Simple logic tells us that (Upko President) Dompok, who is from Penampang, then has no business to be Member of Parliament for Kinabalu since voters in Ranau should not listen to political leaders from other districts,” he said.

Henrynus said Malakun’s statement was creating unwarranted tension among BN component parties and was not helpful in light of the coming elections.