PKR denounces Lajim's call for peninsula-based parties to stay out

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sabah has rebuked Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (PHRS) president Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin for demanding the peninsula-based opposition coalition to stay out of the polls in Sabah, describing it as ludicrous, ungrateful and being opportunistic.

“First and foremost, there’s no law restricting peninsulabased parties from taking part in elections in Sabah and Sarawak.

“Secondly, Lajim has forgotten the fact that he was previously a supreme council member of Umno who later quit to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), both of which are peninsula-based parties.

“He even contested in the last general election under PKR and won. But he conveniently and selectively asked Pakatan Harapan (PH) to stay out of Sabah’s polls without mentioning the Barisan Nasional (BN). May we ask what he is actually up to?” asked PKR Sabah Youth chief Raymond Ahuar.

In a terse response to Lajim’s remark yesterday, Raymond also pointed out that records showed it was the Sabah leaders who compromised the position and interests of Sabah in the past.

“We in Pakatan Harapan are committed to rectify this if we are given the opportunity to form the new government in the coming general election,” he said.

Raymond said furthermore PKR will field a candidate in the Klias state seat and the Beaufort parliamentary seat in the coming general election to regain the trust of their supporters.

During the 13th general election held on May 5, 2013, Lajim contested under the PKR ticket and defeated Isnin Aliasnih from BN by a 179-vote majority to win the Klias state seat.

However, on Thursday, he again reiterated his call urging peninsula-based opposition parties to stay out of Sabah’s polls, citing that there are capable opposition parties in the state.

The Klias assemblyman also pointed out that there were 165 parliamentary seats and more than 500 state seats in Peninsular Malaysia for PH to contest.

He thus opined that PH should leave the 60 state seats and 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah to the local parties.