Kota Kinabalu: PBS said it is puzzled with Sabah Umno head Datuk Seri Bung Moktar’s rant that it (Umno) will never work with PBS, as it has never asked to work with Umno in the first place.
“This is an old man who behaves like a child. You say you don’t want to cooperate with PBS but when did PBS ever asked to cooperate with you?” said party Vice President Datuk Arthur Sen.
“The question of winning or losing is determined by voters. This is a democracy. Let the people choose between Umno and PBS to form the government.
“History shows that PBS started as an opposition party then became a solo government then back and forth between opposition and government until where it is now in the government.
“We are used to it. The important thing is we have stuck to the basic principle of fighting for the rights of Sabah according to the Malaysia Agreement 1963, human dignity, security and citizenship,” he said.
Arthur said going in and out of BN or working with or against Umno is not an issue.
He asked why Bung conspired with the Warisan President to topple the GRS State Government even though he (Shafie Apdal) was a former Umno leader who brought down Sabah Umno in 2018?
“Many say the Umno Supreme Council made the decision of ‘No Anwar, No DAP’. Then why are you friends now? PBS after the 1994 state elections was also betrayed by the jumping of two assemblymen that made Umno the government of Sabah. Yet, PBS accepts this fact with perseverance.
“In my opinion, betraying Bung is better than betraying MA63 and Sabah’s oil royalty. People like Bung cannot be counted on. He doesn’t have a firm stand.
“Let him be friends with the party (Warisan) that he himself had said is ‘friendly to illegal immigrants’.”
Speaking at the Sepanggar Umno Division meeting on Saturday, Bung Moktar declared that PBS is the only party Sabah Umno cannot form an alliance, adding any cooperation is off the table.
He said while many Sabah parties claim local status, PBS stands out as the one Umno cannot work with.
“PBS has betrayed BN multiple times,” Bung Moktar said, recalling the 1990 incident where PBS withdrew on the eve of nomination day, subsequently winning 14 parliamentary seats.
The move was described by them Umno President-cum-Prime Minister as a “stab in the back”. It resulted in Sabah Umno deciding to expand to Sabah for the first time and took over the State Government following the crossover of several PBS elected representatives with the Anti-Hop Law being scrapped.
This was followed by other peninsula BN parties like MCA and MIC also following suit, although these parties failed to make an impact among the Sabah electorate.
He expressed Sabah Umno’s readiness to face both PBS and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) in the coming state election.
He said both parties should not underestimate Sabah Umno, amid their criticisms of Umno being a “Malaya” party.
Acknowledging the changing voter demographics, particularly the influx of young voters with different priorities, Bung Moktar called for unity among Umno’s Youth, Wanita and Puteri wings to effectively address these new challenges.
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