Sabah strongman Joseph Pairin Kitingan, president of the once mighty Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), has vowed that he would not retreat from the leadership of the party – the oldest in the state - or from the politics of government in the state in the near future.

Pairin made this pledge in conjunction with his belated 69th birthday celebrations - he was born on Aug 17 - over the weekend in Kota Kinabalu. PBS supreme council members and his wife, Genevieve, were present.

bn supreme council mt meeting sapp sabah issue 190608 pairin kitingan “I have not seen the nomination papers and I have not yet thought about the party elections,” said Pairin, who was in a jovial mood, in his remarks to well-wishers.

“But, if there is an election, we will let the delegates decide. If I am nominated, I will readily accept. As long as I have not announced my retirement, I will continue providing my service to the people.”

Pairin thanked the party’s supreme council for their continued confidence in him.

“PBS is struggling for the things that are needed by everyone,” stressed Pairin who sees some new hope for the party in the power transition from former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to his successor Najib Abdul Razak.

“This has resulted in a new approach and focus which is very similar to the struggle of the PBS.

“Actually, 1Malaysia - Najib’s signature theme - is what PBS has been working on since its very inception. That is why PBS was registered as a multiracial party in line with the background of the Malaysian community.”

Pairin belaboured the line that Najib had given new emphasis to politics through the 1Malaysia approach and directly renewed the hope of the people. This was particularly true for Sabah, which eschews race in politics.

“It is not easy to achieve 1Malaysia without the support of the people,” cautioned Pairin. “It is only apt for the people to give their support because this - 1Malaysia - is what we have been waiting for all along.”

Younger brother among the well-wishers

Pairin is currently deputy chief minister in a government which he once headed for four unprecedented terms and thumbed his nose at the federal government under the Mahathir administration.

He’s also the state minister for infrastructure development, state assemblyperson for Tambunan and Keningau MP. No one, not even his younger brother Jeffrey, has been able to challenge him so far in these seats.

kitingan project ic 250107 jeffery kitingan Among well-wishers, PKR vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan, had birthday greetings for the man to whom he was once a one-man think tank.

Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad’s decision to incarcerate him in 1990 under the draconian Internal Security Act on allegedly trumped-up charges of plotting Sabah’s secession from Malaysia broke the political ties between the brothers.

“In extending birthday greetings to my brother (Pairin), I will be personally inviting him and the entire PBS leadership to join us in PKR and fight for Sabah as we once did before,” said Jeffrey to Malaysiakini in response to indirect overtures yesterday from his brother to ditch the opposition and re-join him in the party they founded together in 1984.

“They (the PBS leaders) should have realised by now that their tie-up with Umno has not brought any good to the people of Sabah.”

“Umno should go back to Peninsular Malaysia and fight its battles there and not involve the people of Sabah in their struggle for political survival. They (Umno) are here just to get the numbers and projects for themselves, not because they are interested in our welfare.”

New book to expose illegal immigrants

Jeffrey alleged that PBS leaders know that Umno came to power on the back of votes from illegal immigrants who have been strategically placed, especially in marginal seats and listed on the electoral rolls with bogus MyKads. Yet the leaders remain silent, continued Jeffrey.

suhakam roundtable kk sabah 020806 dr chong eng leong “Everything will be explained in the book, ‘Lest We Forget’, by anti-immigration activist Dr Chong Eng Leong, which goes on sale soon,” said Jeffrey.

“Dr Chong left PBS because he was disappointed with the party dragging its feet on the issue of illegal immigration. He’s now with us because he knows that we are serious about the issue of illegal immigration, poverty and other issues, like Sabah rights.”

‘Lest We Forget’, a documentation on the abuse of power, explains why PBS should part company with Umno soon if it wants to remain relevant, according to Jeffrey.

It is understood that the book, retailed at RM 15, is being published as a non-profit project by the 25-year-old Borneo Heritage Foundation which Jeffrey chairs. There are genuine fears that the authorities will confiscate the book and ban it.

Jeffrey dismissed moves by PBS to woo him back as a political ploy to create a rift within Sabah PKR. He has already been a member of PBS twice and a third bid in 2005 was rejected by the supreme council.

Even so, there is growing pressure on Pairin from outside his inner circle to personally persuade Jeffrey, as a PBS founder-leader, back to the party before the elder brother calls it a day sooner or later.

One reason for this is the growing clout of PKR in the seats which were won by BN in the last general election by small margins.

Jeffrey is also seen as crucial to the BN retaining its Dusun and Murut seats. Meanwhile, PBS has all but written off its Chinese seats following the departure of Sapp (Sabah People's Progressive Party) from the BN since Sept 17 last year. Sapp is a breakaway from PBS on the eve of state elections in 1994.

Pairin’s nephew Ongkili set to retire

Already, Pairin’s nephew and deputy Maximus Jonity Ongkili has announced several times that this would be his last term.

biomalaysia 2008 071008 maximus ongkili Ongkili, formerly a Roman Catholic, has set his sights on being a full-time preacher with the Borneo Evangelical Mission after quitting politics.

Also the federal minister for science, technology and innovation, he once saw himself as Pairin’s heir-apparent and this, among others, forced Jeffrey’s departure from the party.

So far, there have been no calls from within PBS for Ongkili to reconsider his decision to quit politics. Neither are Jeffrey and his group outside PBS taking Ongkili’s imminent departure from the party as a clear sign that there’s a place for him and his politics once again in PBS.

“Jeffrey will not take the bait (returning to PBS),” said a key aide to the PKR strongman. “Pairin is not going anywhere, anytime soon. As long as he can personally win in Tambunan and Keningau, he will hang on to PBS and keep the party within the BN.”

The key aide points to PBRS (Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah) as an example. Despite having only one parliamentary and state seat, the party still remains in BN.

PBRS was secretly formed by Clarence Bongkos Malakun, a Kadazan (urban Dusun) moneybag and rebel from Penampang, who broke away from PBS on the eve of state elections in 1994.

He invited Jeffrey to be the president and when he hesitated, the same post was offered to Joseph Kurup who holds it until today.

Pairin’s decision to stay on in politics and the government means that he joins two other political dinosaurs - MIC president S Samy Vellu and Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud - in “overstaying their welcome” and in the process thumbing their noses at would-be successors.