13 Labuan village chiefs quit, join Bersatu
Published on: Monday, March 09, 2020
By: Iffah Dilaney
Suhaili (seated, fourth left) with Labuan Bersatu leaders (front row) and the 13 village chiefs who joined Bersatu (back row).
LABUAN: Thirteen village chiefs here have resigned from their respective posts with immediate effect and declared their support for Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).The 13 were among 27 appointed, representing Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) and Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan).
ADVERTISEMENT
Five of them were from Amanah, five from PKR and the other three from Warisan. They were the village chiefs of Kg Bukit Kalam, Kg Bebuloh, Sg Lada, Sg Miri, Sg Labu, Lajau, Kg Sg Bangat, Patau-Patau 2, Pohon Batu, Bukit Kuda, Sg Buton, Sg Bedaun and Lubok Temiang.
Their resignation followed the fall of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government on Feb 24 after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad resigned as Prime Minister and the shift of power from PH to Perikatan Nasional (PN), which is expected to form its Cabinet tomorrow (Tuesday).
Labuan Bersatu Chief Datuk Suhaili Abd Rahman said the resignation of the 13 village chiefs was considered a decision that should be made as the three parties they represented have become the opposition.
“As before, during the transfer of power between the Barisan Nasional (BN) to PH after the 14th general election, all the village leaders were asked to resign,” he told a press conference here Sunday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Suhaili said all the village chiefs had resigned and joined Bersatu based on their confidence in the new Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Bersatu President.
“I understand that more village chiefs in Labuan will resign in the next few days and join Bersatu,” he added.
ADVERTISEMENT
One of the 13 who resigned, Mat Said Harris, 59, was Labuan PKR information chief, Bukit Kalam branch chief, Bukit Kalam Village Community Management Council (MPKK) chairman, Bukit Kalam village chief and MPKK Zone 2 committee member.
“My resignation and joining Bersatu is for the purpose of ensuring continuity of service to the villagers on a stronger government platform,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bersatu Labuan welcomed the decision by five Labuan Corporation (LC) Advisory Council members, chaired by Labuan MP Datuk Rozman Isli, to resign.
Suhaili said the move was in line with the federal government transition of power.
“Their decision to resign should not be disputed as all of them represented PH component parties and Warisan.
“Rozman who chaired the LC Advisory Council and the four other members made a professional move and their action should be followed by the Chairman of LC who is also a political appointee.
“The Chairman’s decision not to resign will only lead to various allegations and ridicule on social media which is not good for the image of LC as a local authority,” he said. Suhaili also said all members of the Labuan Port Authority (LPA), including its Chairman, should also vacate their positions.
“The LPA Chairman is DAP’s Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Fong Hin who was appointed by the Transport Minister from DAP, while the other board members are from Warisan and PKR.
“All of them are political appointments and should resign... they should not wait to be asked to vacate their positions,” he said.
Suhaili also questioned their (LPA’s) action to hand over the management and operations of the Labuan Liberty Wharf last week (March 3) to the new company without waiting for the appointment of a new Transport Minister.
“Their decision to go ahead with the port management hand-over was made when the country was still in the process of power transition.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
