Pairin free to helm PBS
KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 (The Star) -- Parti
Bersatu Sabah has given Tan Sri Pairin Kitingan the mandate
to helm the party for as long as he wishes.
Therefore, said PBS deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Maximus
Ongkili, the question of him preparing to take over the
party does not arise.
“The supreme council has left it to Pairin to decide when
and to whom he wants to pass the presidency.
“There is no talk about a leadership change in PBS. I am
a faithful deputy who has served the party and the president
for 16 years.
“The supreme council has given the mandate for the president
to serve for as long as he wants and left it to his wisdom
to decide when and to whom he wants to hand over the leadership.
“Remember, there are three deputy presidents in the PBS,
not just me,” he told The Star, in response to recent reports
that PBS might see changes in its leadership.
The speculation surfaced after Ongkili, who is Science,
Technology and Innovation Minister and Kota Marudu MP, reportedly
shifted his political base to his Tambunan hometown where
Pairin his uncle is the assemblyman.
Explaining this, Ongkili said his 40-year-old family house
was in a bad condition and the family had decided to build
a single-storey, four-bedroom house and not a mansion as
had been reported.
Asked if such reports annoyed him or Pairin, Ongkili said
speculation was normal in politics but pointed out that
PBS was a peaceful party.
“There is no jostling for posts and we intend to keep it
that way,” he said.
The two other deputy presidents in the PBS are Sabah Deputy
Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai and Almudin Kaida,
who does not hold any government post.
PBS Youth chief Datuk Jahid Jahim said the party had not
discussed any leadership change.
“As far as the wing is concerned, the leadership transition
agenda in PBS does not arise at all.
“Pairin commands the support of all the party's 61 divisions.
He is a leader who adapts to changes and progress and therefore
continues to be relevant and respected,” Jahid said.
