‘Vocal’ Joniston stands out against ‘senior’ Joachim for PBS No 2 post
Published on: Tuesday, June 28, 2022
By:
FMT, Willie Jude
PBS vice-president and Sabah deputy chief minister Joachim Gunsalam (left) will be going head-to-head against party secretary-general Joniston Bangkuai for the deputy president’s post. (Photo collage: FMT)
Kota Kinabalu: Parti Bersatu Sabah’s (PBS) elections, which start today, will see 164 candidates vying for various positions from the youth and women’s wings to its top leadership.
With Maximus Ongkili retaining the president’s post unchallenged, the focus is on who will serve as his deputy as two party heavyweights go head-to-head for the post.
ADVERTISEMENT
PBS vice-president and Sabah deputy chief minister Joachim Gunsalam will be contesting for the No 2 post against party secretary-general Joniston Bangkuai, who is also the state assistant tourism, culture and environment minister.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Lee Kuok Tiung said Joachim had an edge over his counterpart since he was a more senior leader and also held the deputy chief minister’s post.
However, he told FMT one cannot play down Joniston’s potential.
“Joniston had contested for the same post during PBS’ last elections, but pulled out at the last minute after the top leadership advised him to make way for the more senior Radin Malleh,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Radin is not contesting this time around.
Lee said that, as a former journalist and Borneo bureau chief for a national newspaper, Joniston had a certain advantage over Joachim, particularly in the area of public communications.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We can also see that Joniston stood out more in the last state election (in 2020), making use of the media to speak up on issues of public interest,” he said, noting that Joniston was also the president of the Sabah journalists’ association for 22 years.
Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Tony Paridi Bagang said both Joachim and Joniston have their unique qualities, but believed that the determining factor would be delegates’ wisdom and boldness in electing the new deputy president.
“Will they vote based on seniority or are they ready to choose a change in leadership? These questions might be the key,” he told FMT.
He said Joachim was not just loyal to PBS but was also a calm and collected figure who would be willing to accept any view or suggestion that would benefit the party.
However, he noted that Joniston was more vocal on issues than Joachim, giving him an edge when it came to introducing ideas and reforms in the party.
“But are the delegates willing to shake up the party elections?” he asked.
Previously, PBS information chief Julita Majungki said 71 of the 164 candidates contesting for party posts were new faces, the highest in its history.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
