Tenom: Kuamut Assemblyman Datuk Masiung Banah (pic), who quit as Upko Vice President and Upko Kinabatangan Division Chief and left the party with 120 other divisional leaders and members late last month, joined Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) on Tuesday. Banah left the party together with 120 members including from the Kinabatangan division committee, Wanita and Komulakan from 94 Kinabatangan Upko branches on Nov. 24. He submitted his membership application form to Warisan Sec-Gen Loretto Sipin Padua Jr, witnessed by Vice President Datuk Peter Anthony during a Christmas open house event at Datuk Seri Panglima Antenom Community Hall, here.
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Banah said he was supposed to make a decision in two months but felt it was not fair for the people in Kuamut if he continued to delay and considering the fast changing political situation. He said the 14th General Election results showed the people of Sabah wanted a party that can be an umbrella for all races and there is a large possibility that any racial based party will no longer win the hearts of the people in future.
"Therefore we must make a smart choice by choosing the party which represents all races," he told reporters after he submitted his application form.Banah said with him are 25 former Kinabatangan Upko Division Committee members, 30 ex-Division Wanita Committee members, 15 ex-Division Youth Committee members, 28 ex-Division Komulakan Committee members and 94 out of the 100 Upko Kinabatangan branches.
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Also joining are ex-Kuamut Umno leader Majid Lindan and ex-PBS Kuamut Division Chief Awang Gariman and his former deputy chief.Meanwhile, Anthony who is also State Infrastructure Development Minister, described Banah's joining Warisan as a shock.
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"We thank him for being with us. Like he always said, the people accept multi-racial parties like Warisan. We hope we can work together for the benefit of the people. We are also confident there will be more joining us," he said. Padua said this shows that more and more people are beginning to trust Warisan, under the leadership of Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.He said Banah was an Independent assemblyman after he quit Upko and then applied to join Warisan, adding Banah and his supporters will go through the same process as others who applied to join Warisan.
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"After this we will give membership numbers to them," he said. Also joining Warisan are former Upko Komulakan chief Willy Frous Darinsok, former Ranau Upko Youth chief Jackson Musi dan former Pensiangan Upko treasurer Jackrison Kilan. - Yayasan DalimposPhoto Source : Masiung Banah Facebook page
