Never give up, stay united in PBS – Pairin
KOTA KINABALU: For three decades, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) has never wavered on the objectives of the party, said outgoing party president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan.
Delivering his last speech as the party president, Pairin who founded PBS 33 years ago, stressed that he had mentioned that fact in his speeches and statements over and over again, reflecting that PBS had indeed spoken up.
“We have gone too far now to back out, and we do not intend to back out. Let’s fight all the way and make a difference. It is still not too late to make a difference, because change is good.
“Moving on, I realise that our struggles are not over yet. There are still a lot of unfinished and unfulfilled tasks. But PBS is a good party, this is a party with solid objectives.
“I have mentioned our core struggles and we are very persistent and will remain consistent in voicing for Sabah and Sabahans. We have gone through rough and thin over the decades,” he said.
PBS, Pairin said, began as an opposition party in 1985, joined Barisan Nasional in 1986, but exited the coalition in 1990. It was welcomed back into BN in 2002, where PBS became a part of a bigger family of the coalition till the last general election.
Unfortunately, the 14th general election’s outcome was unsatisfactory to BN, forcing PBS to again leave the coalition to continue fighting for the good of Sabah and Sabahans.
He lamented that in the 14th general election, like any other party, PBS did not do too well, winning only one of its five parliamentary seats contested and six state seats.
“At this point of time, there is no point pointing fingers. What we should focus more on is what the future holds for PBS. Let our past mistakes guide us to be better in the next general election. Five years is closer than we think, so we need to act now.
“Today, we should focus on uplifting our fighting spirits, like how we fought hard in 1985. We also need to be attractive to the younger generation. We should not fear them. They can be our weapons,” Pairin opined.
PBS and BN should have been the government, said Pairin, adding that while BN lost at the federal level, back home in Sabah it was a draw.
“We, in BN, managed to establish a coalition with Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku Sabah (STAR Sabah) and formed the government. But all hopes crushed when UPKO betrayed us. The party president, then still acting, took his YBs (Yang Berhormats) to cross over and joined alliance with Parti Warisan, so they become the government.
“To PBS, it was a betrayal by UPKO. And they did this even after we signed the Presidential Council, a partnership between three political parties, namely PBS, UPKO and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS). After using the BN platform, manifesto and fund, UPKO just deserted us like our past partnership meant nothing,” he said.
“The struggle must go on. We must continue to fight for our rights, Sabah’s rights, and demand what is rightfully ours as stipulated under Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“We have made our stand, PBS has made its stand, and we will train young people to understand and respect our core struggles by holding more seminars. PBS’ multiracial principle is the ideal platform for political engagement in today’s Malaysia. We must never give up on this platform,” he stressed.
PBS, Pairin said, had come up with recommendations to fight for Sabah’s rights and it would definitely pursue this.
“And on matters related to illegal immigrants, we must instil in our hearts and minds that Sabah is our land, we are the rightful owners. If we all support and work closely together, victory will be ours, and in time, the gap between Sabah and Malaya will be narrowed.
“PBS has indeed trained its people well. We have strong, loyal and capable leaders to lead the party. In fact, in times of despair, our YBs did not even move an inch when BN collapsed.
“Yes, we left BN, but we stuck to our ground, we did not lower our principles to satisfy our own personal gain. We did not do what UPKO did, because we respect our voters’ wishes. Our supporters voted us when we were carrying the BN flag, because they believe that BN was still the best party to represent them,” Pairin said.
It was just unfortunate that the turn of events also forced PBS to leave BN, he said, adding that being in the opposition was nothing new to PBS as it went down that path before and pulled through and matured.
PBS, he said, had lived through beauty and pain as its journey had not been smooth, but the bumps and challenges had made the party stronger.
“We may have lost some people who are not as strong willed as us, but it’s fine. We are a party with dignity. In politics, principles are important, respect for one another glues us together. This unity will never break. We will stay Bersatu, not just for the good of PBS and its members, but also those who believe in us,” he said.
Pairin also called on PBS’ new leadership, led by his deputy of 24 years, Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili, to continue the party struggles.
“I trust PBS is in good hands. There are many unfinished tasks for you to pursue. Dr Maximus is an experienced leader, and is highly qualified for the post. We have gone through a lot together and it was not hard for me to let go of leadership because I believe I have trained him well.
“He is ready to shoulder all challenges, and I strongly believe he will help bring PBS to greater heights. Of course, this is possible if each and everyone of you give him the full support and cooperation, as how you have rendered your services to me for the last 33 years,” he said.
According to the veteran politician, while going down memory lane, PBS members must not just dream away and reminisce on the party’s past glories.
They must wake up and think further ahead, especially now as the party goes through this difficult patch.
“We must change the people’s mentality that party is for the old-timers. PBS is still here three decades after its inception, and we must ensure that PBS continues to live for many more decades.
“As such, we need new blood in PBS to ensure sustainability of the party. We must work hard to lure young people into the party, make them understand our struggles and subscribe to our ideology. Our struggles are noble and we must pursue our fight for the good of everyone,” he said.
He also called on PBS members to be proactive to the Pakatan Harapan government’s proposal to lower the voting age to 18 as the party does not lack good leaders who are qualified in training young and new members.
“We need to set up special committees at all branches and create programmes and activities that would be of interest to these young voters. We must make our presence felt. PBS and its struggles need re-introduction, especially to the young people, who only know the party at the surface.
“If we make ourselves known now, I believe we will not have much problem to gain the 18year-olds’ support in the coming general election. Five years is not a long time, so we need to start acting now,” he stressed.
PBS, he pointed out was going through a rough patch right now and given the current political settings around, it needed strong, capable and hardworking leaders to ensure the party survived this challenge.
“I believe the line-up will be a combination of both old and new faces. Regardless, I hope the new line-up, under the leadership of my successor Dr Maximus, will continue the struggle. For those who failed in their pursuit, do not despair. Instead, continue your good work and help the elected leaders in their struggles. In PBS, we are a family, and a family sticks together.
“I will not lie; this is emotional for me. PBS has been my life for 33 years, but I am proud to finally make way for Dr Maximus to take the helm. We will not last for three decades if not for the hard work and struggle of all members and supporters. We have achieved a milestone, especially in voicing for better development of the state.
“Before I step down, I would like to thank everyone who have always been around to assist and help. My advice to you all is to never give up. Stay united in PBS although we are in the opposition now. Never be ashamed to fight for our rights. Don’t ever shy away from fighting what is right for PBS, for Sabah and for Sabahans. Always remember that PBS is you, and you are PBS,” he said.