Sabah opposition parties: There is no deal with new players

Three Sabah based opposition parties have made it clear that they will not deal with anyone outside their alliance in their bid to oust the Barisan Nasional state government in the next general election.

Parti Cinta Sabah led by Datuk Wilfred Bumburing, Sabah STAR under Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) headed by Datuk Yong Teck Lee have stood together under the United Sabah Alliance banner amidst talk that Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal is keen to have ties with only one political party in the alliance.

“If any of the new local party wants to work with us, it must be through the alliance,” Bumburing told reporters yesterday.

“We have worked together for two years. We cannot sacrifice that to new players,” he said.

Dr Jeffrey said national opposition parties should leave it to Sabah parties to defeat Barisan in the spirit of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement.

Alliance members would however support them at the federal level, he said.

Shafie has yet to approach any of the alliance party leaders despite speculation that Warisan would head to the polls with one of them.

Yong said the alliance would launch its joint charter on Nov 20 in view of the coming polls.

He said the emergence of local parties created by those leaving peninsula-based parties was a good sign.

Even if the new parties did not want to join the Sabah alliance, he said the coalition was ready to accept them as partners or friends in taking on Barisan.

The SAPP held its congress yesterday, which was also attended by a representative of former Sabah PKR chairman Datuk Lajim Ukin, who is setting up his own party.