Lajim ‘right man’ to lead Bersatu Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat) president Datuk Seri Panglima Lajim Ukin is the right man to lead Parti Peribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) in Sabah as he is the only one with a proven ‘track record’ to do so.
Harapan Rakyat Youth chief Jovilis Majami opined that all the other potential leaders for PPBM Sabah have no track record in leading and expanding a party.
“I believe that the Bersatu chairman (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) and president (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) would want a leader who has proven his ability and not someone who is just about to learn how to do so through this party.
“Lajim also has a party organizational structure that is complete, steadfast and loyal to the struggle since eight years ago instead of one that was arranged just two or three days after the rumours of PPBM coming to Sabah came about.
“In fact, it was Lajim who came up with the suggestion to bring PPBM to Sabah when he had submitted a letter to the party’s chairman just days after the 14th General Elections (GE14),” said Jovilis in a statement yesterday.
“I believe that Lajim will be able to bring the party in line with the other main local parties in Sabah in a short time, once he has been appointed as the PPBM Sabah chief,” added Jovilis.
According to the rumour mill, former Umno Sabah chief Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor is the one poised to be leader of PPBM in the state once the party has officially arrived here.
Jovilis pointed out that Lajim has the experience of leading a federal-based party as well as the experience of leading his own.
“If we still remember, before Lajim was appointed as the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) liaison chief in Sabah back in 2013, the party only had around 20,000 members. However, after Lajim led the party, the number of members grew to 60,000,” he said.
Jovilis asserted that Lajim’s leadership charisma was seen clearly when he managed to take in around 64,000 members for his Harapan Rakyat party in the space of a few months.
He believes that the number could be higher as there were some application forms that could not be registered in the system due to the hectic 14th General election season.
Jovilis agreed with Harapan Rakyat information chief Karim Adam’s contention that Lajim is very experienced in handling ministerial portfolios, both in federal and state level.
“When were still in Gabungan Sabah (GS), Harapan Rakyat was given two big responsibilities – to prepare a Implementation of Residency System Draft and to lead coalition’s manifesto planning for GE14.
“These responsibilities were given to Lajim due to his capacity as a leader,” he added.
Last month, Lajim announced that Harapan Rakyat will be dissolved to enable its members to join PPBM.