Sabah parties squabble among themselves

Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) leaders are seeing red over Sabah DAP's stand that the former should either be part of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat to topple BN "or be considered an enemy if it goes solo".

"Sabah DAP chairman Hiew King Cheu's statement cannot be accepted because he only won by 106 votes in Kota Kinabalu," said Sapp vice-president Made Sidik.

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) vice-president Herbert Timbon Lagadan confessed that like DAP he is baffled as well by the Sapp's role in the opposition. He sees jealousy as being at the root of Sapp's constant sniping at BN component parties.

"He's jealous after having failed to make a difference as the BN chief minister for two years," said Lagadan.

Going on the offensive against Yong's stepped up attacks in recent days, Lagadan reminded the Sapp leader that he had been singing BN's praises not too long ago when his party was in the coalition.

Yong's worst folly, pointed out Lagadan, was to support the issuance of birth certificates to the children of illegal immigrants in Sabah.

The PBS hawk went on to dismiss Yong's claims that he was in touch with the grassroots, unlike BN leaders, and added that "he was desperately spinning half-truths among the people".

Yong on warpath

Keeping scores, Yong reiterated that PBS supreme council member Chin Tek Ming had openly challenged Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) deputy president Chin Su Phin.

Tek Ming had also called on LDP president VK Liew and deputy chief minister Peter Pang "to admit that they were shoddy performers and step down immediately," noted Yong.

Re-opening recent wounds, Yong (left) called on LDP leaders to rebut Tek Ming's claim that PBS had to step in over grassroots dissatisfaction in Luyang and Likas with LDP. This is the reason that PBS leaders, according to Yong, "are full of praise of Musa".

"PBS deputy president Dr Yee Moh Chai should step down over reports that Sabah youths are sleeping on the streets in Kuala Lumpur and rummaging in the rubbish bins of fast food outlets," said Yong.

"PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan should ask his deputy to accept responsibility and step down."

Instead, charged the Sapp boss, Dr Yee is asking SESB managing director Baharin Din to step down over the continuing power woes plaguing the state.

"Dr Yee has clearly overstepped his ministerial responsibilities," said Yong. "SESB is under Pairin's responsibility. So, should Pairin ask the human resources director in Dr Yee's ministry to step down over the Sabah youths in KL?"

Yong lamented that the BN is yet to call on anyone to resign in the wake of the decanting of the Queen Elizabeth II General Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, water woes, the continuing illegal immigration time-bomb, kidnappings of Sabahans by armed intruders along the east coast and rampant complaints over land grabs in the rural areas by peninsular Malaysia-based plantation companies.

Meanwhile, Sabah BN Youth secretary Mohamad Alamin advised Sapp leaders to issue statements with supporting facts instead of making "wild accusations".

"Sabah BN leaders have done their part in raising local issues in Kuala Lumpur," said Mohamad in dismissing Yong's complaints that no one has yet resigned over various problems confronting the state.

courtesy of Malaysiakini