No difference if PBRS leaves BN, says PBS

Published on: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 Email to a friend Printer Friendly

Keningau: The Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Pensiangan division claims that not only is fellow BN component Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) no longer relevant in the district but actually a liability for the Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

Hence, PBS Nalasaran Sapulut Branch Head, Jack Sangau, said PBRS President Tan Sri Joseph Kurup should not issue the threat to reconsider PBRS' position in the BN. "For PBS, if PBRS pulls out from BN, it will not have any effect on the coalition in Sabah because it (PBRS) is not an important asset to BN but a liability to us," he said.

He was commenting on Umno Vice President-cum-Minister of Defence, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, staking a claim for the Pensiangan seat in the next election. The constituency is currently held by Kurup but its win without contest on nomination day in the last election is riddled with controversy with Kurup almost being assaulted. It took the court to rule in Kurup's favour.

Jack said, instead, he (Kurup) should have considered the question at hand in regards to the role of PBRS in Pensiangan and take extra measures in order to solidify their efforts to work along with other BN components there.

Responding to Kurup's statement in the Daily Express, he said such intimidation was not the first ever made by PBRS, as similar threat was also issued by the party during the 2008 election, when it warned to leave BN if Datuk Dr Bernard Maraat were to contest as Pensiangan MP.

He said PBRS also once labelled PBS as an "opposition" within the Barisan coalition and should the party desires to win in the 13th General Election, it should take other components as friends, not enemies.

"Kurup should have not been upset when Zahid's suggested that Umno should contest in one of the seat in Pensiangan because he is well aware that he himself excludes other BN component in this area in terms of projects distribution under the Parliamentary allocation.

Meanwhile, he said, PBS supports fully the recommendations made by Zahid to enable other BN components to contest in Pensiangan so that the constituency may not fall to the opposition in the next General election.