PBS not involved in formation of Perpaduan Rakyat
MATUNGGONG, Feb 15, 2020:
Parti Bersatu Sabah is not involved in the formation of the proposed new alliance of opposition parties in the state, dubbed the Perpaduan Rakyat.
"We (PBS) is the oldest local party in Sabah. We would not jeopardise our party just to make way for a new alliance," PBS President Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili told PBS N4 Matunggong branch leaders, here, today.
Giving assurance to all PBS leaders and members, Ongkili stressed that as far as the party's struggle is concerned, they would continue to strengthen and prepare PBS for the next general elections.
"PBS was actually invited to the Perpaduan Rakyat's event led by Datuk Seri Anifah Aman recently, but the party opted to focus on our main priority, namely strengthening our grassroots, recruitment of new members at divisional level, set up new branches, and conduct our annual general meetings, which are currently taking place statewide," he said.
PBS, he added, has always opened its doors to cooperating with like-minded parties that share its political struggles, especially in safeguarding the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
"The cleansing of Sabah from the domination or intrusion of illegal immigrants, and of course the quest of equitable development have always been part of our struggles.
"While we are open to cooperation, the party leadership has decided to strengthen our machinery and focus on Sabah and Sabahans. We are more than happy to work closely with other opposition parties, especially with the 15th general elections(GE15) draws near," he said.
He added after being in existence for over three decades, PBS is proud to have divisions in all the 60 state seats, and Labuan.
"We are working on forming new divisions in the 13 new state seats, and to date, we have already formed two divisions - Limbahau and Tulid. So we have awesome machineries throughout the state.
"Based on the statements from leaders of Perpaduan Rakyat, they seemed to be interested in forming a single party. This may eventually require dissolution of existing partner parties. PBS is not interested in such a scheme."
He said PBS will remain strong and respected by the Sabah people.
"We, instead, offer our party as a platform to form the government with like-minded friends in opposition for the impending GE15," he said.