New PBS president has ‘investment’ on his mind
PENAMPANG: Newly elected Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili has investment on his mind.
Realising the importance of the younger generation’s participation and support, the Kota Marudu member of parliament said the party would focus on attracting and inviting ‘young blood’ into PBS.
“PBS will invest in young men and women, train them in principled political conduct and be fighters for Sabah rights and territorial integrity,” he said in his acceptance speech during the PBS 33rd Annual Delegates Congress, which ended yesterday.
Ongkili, 65, assumed the president’s post from outgoing Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, after the latter announced his retirement at the opening of this year’s congress on Nov 15.
Kitingan, 78, who founded PBS in 1985, was made the party premier advisor in a motion, which was accepted unanimously by the delegates.
“PBS’ political struggle, as contained in its Constitution, is noble, wholesome, inclusive and timeless bound.
“The founding party president, and now premier advisor, stressed five tenets of the party struggles in his congress policy speech, which have become the party’s flesh and blood. These core struggles made the party strong and last for the past 33 years.
“I promise that PBS, under my leadership and the newly elected supreme council members, will pursue more vigorously and intensify the foundations of our struggle,” Ongkili stressed.
He said the new team would pursue in its pursuit and promotion of multiracial politics, which is a timeless political principle to PBS, and would promote and preserve unity of Sabahans and Sabah, and Malaysia as a whole.
“As enshrined in the PBS Constitution, we will persist in defending Sabah’s rights and defend of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“We will voice, propose solutions and rally with the grassroots on means to settle disputes on this matter,” he said.
PBS, he added, would intensify its demand for permanent resolution of the illegal immigrants invasion of Sabah.
“We must instil in our hearts that Sabah is for Sabahans first and genuine Malaysians only. Illegal foreigners must be detained and deported.”
He also stressed that PBS would strive to promote and protect the universal value of Dignity of Man, which calls for freedom of religion, expression, culture and access to human basic needs through socio-economic development.
“Regional economic disparity and income inequality among the rakyat must be voiced and overcome by whatever means of policy and programmes,” said Ongkili.
Lastly, Ongkili said PBS, the oldest multiracial party in Sabah, would continue to promote honourable political conduct and practice.
Since the party’s formation, he stressed that PBS had always been against party hopping and deplores unprincipled action by elected leaders or political parties to leapfrog political allegiance to the destruction of democracy and disadvantage of socio-economic well being of the people.