Kota Kinabalu: Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) needs to create its own strength in efforts to consolidate the party and not solely rely on Barisan Nasional (BN) alone, its President Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup said.
While affirming PBRS’ loyalty to BN and its spirit of camaraderie with other component parties, he said PBRS needs to work harder to ensure that it has strong support, especially at the grassroots level.
“No one could have predicted BN winning (only) 30 parliamentary seats (in the 15th General Election) but still be part of the government.
“Politics in these times is difficult for us to predict, and with the current political situation being very dynamic, we need a more dynamic approach for us to move forward and be a stronger party,” he said.
The Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation said this when speaking at PBRS’ 29th Anniversary celebrations and Appreciation Night, which was also attended by former President Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, Friday.
PBRS is one of the component parties in BN along with UMNO, MCA and MIC.
Arthur said PBRS also must keep to its long-standing practice of integrity and loyalty, adding that those values are important in ensuring support from the people.
“2018 (14th general election) tested the loyalty of many in our party and BN itself. PBRS is the only local party in Sabah that has remained loyal to BN since 1994.
“Whatever our situation, loyalty is a measure of our struggles and integrity. We go through ups and downs together, we need consistency in our struggle. Whatever our position, the people (will) be looking at us with full confidence,” he said.
Met by reporters after the event, Arthur said with GE15 seeing some 10.6 million young voters, PBRS needs to take steps to attract the support of that age group, including undergoing a rejuvenation process, while at the same time also seeking guidance from senior party leaders.
