KENINGAU: Umno Pensiangan division has urged the Umno Supreme Council and Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership to consider allowing the party to contest one of the seats in the Pensiangan parliamentary constituency in the next general election.
Pensiangan seat is presently held by Datuk Joseph Kurup from PBRS (The only seat held by BN-PBRS)
The division chief, Datuk Abdul Ghani Datuk Mohd Yassin, said the call was not for his personal interest but in the interest of Umno and BN.
“What is important is for Umno to remain relevant, the BN strong, the state and country secure and prosperous," he said in his speech during the Pensiangan . Umno delegates meeting at the Perkasa Hotel here on Saturday.
The meeting was officiated by Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Abdul Ghani said Pensiangan Umno division has grown in strength with 146 branches and 11,301 registered members.
Umno members represent 49 percent of the 20,975 registered voters in the Pensiangan parliamentary constituency.
"Fifty-seven per cent of Umno members in this division comprise those from the non-Muslim communities," he said.
He said members of the division had also attended a course held in Tuaran recently and found it useful to ensure victory for the BN in the next general election.
"I express hope and confidence that Umno will be given the opportunity to contest in an area within the Pensiangan area," Abdul Ghani said.
To strengthen the claim, Abdul Ghani said, Pensiangan is the only constituency where Umno has no representation, unlike Keningau, Tenom and Ranau.
He said another factor that has attracted the people in the division to support Umno and the BN government is the dynamism and the pragmatic leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman.
Source: The Borneo Post by Johan Aziz
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PBRS says may review position
PBRS President Tan Sri, Joseph Kurup said this in expressing disappointment with the statement by Umno Vice President Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who openly called for the Pensiangan seat to be given to Umno in next general election.
"He should not have made such a statement because it will raise the hopes of Umno in Pensiangan that they will get the chance to stand in the coming election.
"But in the event this do not happen there is a great possibility that there would be elements of sabotage so that the contesting component party will end up losing.
"This will then open up the avenue for them (Umno) to demand for the seat next time," he said. Sunday.
According to him. the Pensiangan Parliamentary seat, which is held by him is now steady and “we (PBRS) are confident that we will be able to defend it safely in the next election".
He said Umno should, instead, focus on the seats that it lost in the 2008 election and "not disturb seats that have potential to be won by a coalition partner".
"If Umno insist on getting all the seats in Sabah, including Pensiangan, then we will not force ourself inside BN," Kurup, who is also the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, said.
"We will raise the issue in the BN Supreme Council meeting because we strongly believe that PBRS has the chance to win for BN in Pensiangan, but with such statement it will only weaken the BN there," he said.
Zahid had said that Pensiangan Umno must be given at least one seat to contest in the coming election and that he would petition the PM and CM about it.
Zahid said such a move was vital if Sabah desires to continue being a "fixed deposit" for the BN Government.
"How can you keep on being a fixed deposit if the backbone is not given support," he said, adding the move to put Umno in the constituency " does not mean we want to replace the current YBs".
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Concern over Umno’s demand for seats: Upko
MENGGATAL: United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) has denied an allegation that the party has been "pinching members" of another component party in Putatan.
Its Sec-Gen, Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau said it is also not a new issue as it is actually happening all over including in his hometown, Tuaran.
"In the past, we know one of the reasons Umno is claiming basically for Putatan is based on a reaction that there is an allegation of component parties are pinching their members.
"If that (Umno) is their right to make a demand, then it has raised a lot of concerns among component parties because Umno has been demanding seats...not just Putatan but also other constituencies in Sabah.
"We have brought this up before, and you can see that the party (Umno) is demanding for seats...for instance Merotai seat that belongs to Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and now you can see what is happening to LDP now.
"Not only that, it is also happening in my area, Turaran, where our head party branches are offered the posts of headmen in return for some attractive things, which I feel it is very unhealthy.
"I think the Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership should address this. At the end of the day, whatever the demand is from BN component parties, I hope we can still able to sit down and trash the issues out."
Madius, who was formerly Tuaran MP, said this to reporters when met during Upko Open House Celebration of Tadau Kaamatan Upko 2011 opened by the Head of State Tuan Haji Juhar Haji Mahiruddin, at the community hall here, Sunday.
He was commenting on an article in a local paper here Sunday that reported Umno Putatan is crying foul over the act of a particular BN component party, which it claimed has been pinching Umno members in its constituency.
The member-pinching issues was brought up during the division's delegates meeting held at Wisma Pertanian on Saturday, with members calling for the party's leadership to take firm action to address the unhealthy development.
Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Petagas Assemblyman, Datuk Yahya Hussin, who officiated the meeting, said the particular BN component party has been persuading Umno members in the constituency, especially those from Sembulan area to jump ship by offering them projects in return.
At the end of the day, Madius said all the component parties under BN will be using only one symbol that is BN symbol regardless number of seats the parties have.
Source: Daily Express 16 May 2011 by Hayati Dzulkifli
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