Five PBS branch chairmen, members join PKR Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: The chairmen of five Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) branches from Matunggong, Kota Marudu together with their committee and ordinary members last Sunday announced that they were ditching the party to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sabah.
The five branches are Kg Rita ( headed by Maba Ris), Kg Merimbou (headed by Monirap), Kg Buranik Silab (headed by Basah), Kg Andarason Sava ( headed by Jerry), Kg Sumangap ( headed by Mokuut) and Kg Komiung (headed by Mominpin Bokol).
They jointly handed over their application forms to join PKR Sabah in a meet the people session held at Kg Rita last Sunday.
Their applications were accepted by the PKR Kota Marudu branch chairman and deputy chairman, and witnessed by PKR Sabah chairperson Christina Liew. More than 220 villagers, a majority of whom were former PBS members, attended the said meeting.
Also present were PKR Sabah deputy chairman Mustapha Sakmud, vice chairman III Kenny Chua, director of election committee Ustaz Rahamn Yacob, chairman and deputy chairman of PKR Kota Marudu branch Ustaz Kahar Abdul Rahman and Sazalye Donol.
The main reason given by these ex-PBS branch chairmen and villages for ditching PBS was their loss of confidence in the leadership of PBS, claiming that their welfare was not looked after over the years by their respective elected representatives.
Besides this, they were also dissatisfied with some of the Barisan Nasional (BN) government policies such as the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the removal of subsidies for essential consumer items which had greatly impacted on their lives.
These ex-branch chairmen further said the biggest problem that had been troubling the villagers for many years was the poor condition of the trunk road connecting the main road to their respective villages.
The trunk road was built during Usno time, but had not been maintained or improved until now and this is affecting the local villagers who have to tolerate such bad road conditions for so many years.
“I personally experienced the terrible road conditions when I travelled to this kampong on Sunday. The roads were so broken and riddled with potholes. It would be especially difficult and dangerous for pregnant women, young children and elderly folk to travel on this type of road condition,” said Liew.
The villagers also complained of the lack of piped water and electricity to their villages, despite the country having achieved independence for more than five decades now.
“These ex-PBS branch chairmen thus opined that it was time for a change of government and they vowed to do their best in the coming state election to make sure that ‘change’ will materialize in Matunggong. One of the branch chairmen, Buranik Sulah, who was a former official of the Native Court, said he had studied the background of PKR and recognized it as a true multiracial party. He believed PKR would be fair to the people if elected as the next government,” Liew related.