Max under tremendous pressure — Warisan
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah rebutted the acting president of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili for saying that voting for the opposition is a waste of time.
According to the secretary general of Parti Warisan Sabah, Loretto Padua Jr., Maximus simply cannot provide better argument anymore as to why Sabahans, particularly the Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) community have to continue supporting the Barisan Nasional (BN) and PBS.
“Max is actually under tremendous pressure and in panicky mode when many of the PBS grassroot leaders all over the State have deserted the party and joined Warisan.
“Thus, how could he continue asking the Sabahans to continue supporting BN/PBS when there is mass exodus of his own grassroot leaders to Warisan?
“He cannot explain it to the Sabahans why the exodus happened so the only thing that he can say is that it is a waste of time voting for the opposition.
“But if we assemble all these former PBS grassroot leaders who believed, sacrificed and worked tirelessly for BN/PBS for about 10 or 20 years, do you think that Maximus will have the guts to say it to them, face to face, that it is a waste of time to vote Warisan?” said Loretto in a statement yesterday.
“Obviously no because Maximus and some of these grassroot leaders had been the opposition from 1990 to 1994 and for Maximus do so is akin for him spitting at them,” he explained.
Loretto also believes that the departure had shaken PBS and could potentially cause the collapse of machineries in some constituencies.
“These senior grassroot leaders, who believe that the change of government in Sabah through Warisan is highly probable, know their areas very well and in constant contact with the electorates, thus I believe Warisan will be able to capture a few PBS seats this coming election,” he added.
Loretto also chided Maximus for depending too much on the issue relating to disbursement of funds for infrastructure by PBS.
“While it is such a disgrace when BN/PBS opt not to bring development at the oppositionheld constituencies, there is nothing special with what they had done either when they use the taxpayers' monies for development purposes at any given constituency.
“Afterall, that is what a responsible government should do.
“So, I am deeply offended when Maximus told my fellow Sabahans, especially the KDMs, that voting for the opposition in Matunggong had resulted in wasted opportunities for development and economic improvement for Sabahans.
Maximus said at a meet the people session in Matunggong on Monday that voters have learned the hard way and are now paying a hefty price for choosing the wrong party.
He said electing the opposition had resulted in wasted opportunities for development and economic improvement for the people.
“The opposition can take pictures of field problems and spin in social media but cannot solve problems such as land surveying, road improvement, electricity supply, long house construction and many others.
“Voting for the opposition is a waste of time and opportunity,” he said.