Prove claim Anak Negeri sponsored by Umno — Henrynus

RANAU: Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri president Datuk Henrynus Amin regretted unfounded rumours being circulated by desperate political leaders accusing him of being funded by Umno and challenged those accusing him as such to make a public statement or accusation.

Henrynus said he believed Pakatan Harapan/Warisan may have been ignoring Anak Negeri due to fake rumours circulating in town discrediting Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) Momogun political leaders as being bought or funded with money from Umno.

“I categorically deny insinuations that I’m being used by Umno to split opposition votes and received money from Umno to start my own political party,” he said in a statement yesterday after the Anak Negeri walk about in Ranau town yesterday.

“I need tangible reports of such allegations being made in speeches, newspaper reports, WhatsApp or Facebook postings to justify a police report or a legal action against those making such malicious allegations,” he said, adding that he was shocked to be advised by a senior church pastor recently he was not trusted by some people, perhaps due to the fake allegations against Anak Negeri.

“I have also received cautious advice by a friend who is a senior KDM Momogun opposition political leader who said rumours are circulating in the streets that Anak Negeri is being funded by Umno.

“In fact there is a new story that a senior leader of Warisan during a talk in Kampung Ketiau has accused me of accepting a certain sum to start the party.

“Let me clarify and establish the fact that neither Anak Negeri nor me received any money even a single cent from outside the party circles, let alone from Umno leaders.

“I am challenging those who make these baseless allegations to make a public statement to enable me to make a police report and to take the necessary legal action to clear my name.

“I urge those who have records of the allegations in WhatsApp, Facebook etc that Anak Negeri or Datuk Henrynus Amin indeed received money from Umno leaders to come out and give documentary evidence to Anak Negeri office.

“For the record, we started Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri with no budget, as we simply hold ourselves to be collectively responsible on party finances. Some Anak Negeri leaders sold personal assets to help the party. In fact all our potential candidates have been funding their party activities using their own very limited personal resources,” Henrynus said.

“Anak Negeri is proud of the fact that the party has many dedicated leaders to ensure the party survived for one year. Anak Negeri leaders make huge sacrifices in terms of time, talents, physical efforts and money by selling assets to help the party,” he said.

Henrynus regretted a certain opposition political party claiming to be multiracial is using below the belt tactics to discredit other opposition political parties such as Anak Negeri to justify their divide and rule tactics to essentially divide, destroy and conquer the KDM Momogun areas for their political or perhaps their personal pecuniary gains.

Anak Negeri deeply regrets that desperate opposition political leaders with doubtful motives and fearful of the rise and emergence of Anak Negeri are now resorting to using despicable lies and deception to justify their act of betrayal to the opposition agenda in Sabah.

The party agrees with Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred M Bumburing that if there were to be a political pact among the opposition front, no one political party in Sabah should dominate to contest more than 50 per cent of the State seats.

Henrynus asserted that Pakatan Harapan/Parti Warisan Sabah’s 40:60 formula of seat sharing among them is basically similar to Barisan Nasional’s (BN) tactic of divide and rule to render the Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) Momogun community disunited, weak and powerless.

He warned any attempt by Pakatan Harapan/Warisan to ignore or belittle the role and resolve of small KDM Momogun opposition parties like PCS and Anak Negeri to support regime change will backfire on them and the overall opposition agenda in Sabah.

Henrynus said regardless of PH or Warisan’s act or intent of ignoring the role for KDM Momogun political parties, Anak Negeri will surely find and fight its way to the general election.

He said PH/Warisan should not exploit the weaknesses of the KDM Momogun political parties, especially their disunity and lack of money to justify their multiracial credential to contest in KDM Momogun seats.

“If PH/Warisan’s foray into KDM Momogun seats is dictated purely by sheer greed or distrust of KDM Momogun political leaders, their hope for electoral victory as a multiracial political party will crumble under the weight of their own folly, arrogance and ignorance,” he said in a statement yesterday.

According to Henrynus, there are only three fairly organized and serious KDM-based opposition political parties in Sabah with a fair chance to win seats, namely PCS led by Bumburing, STAR led by Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Anak Negeri led by himself.

Assuming PCS and Anak Negeri were to join forces as a KDM Momogun based opposition political pact during GE14, STAR would not fit in easily as the party has already formed its own political pact with SAPP, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah and PPRS called Gabungan Sabah.

However an even larger Sabah opposition political pact is possible if the role of the KDM Momogun political parties is recognized, respected and given the proper share of the Sabah electoral seats based on best and winnable candidates approach.