KOTA KINABALU: Upko left Barisan Nasional after the 2018 general election as a sacrifice and not a betrayal, as claimed by Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), says Felix Joseph Saang.
The Upko Youth chief said the time has come for PBS to stop slandering Upko and deceiving the people after Sabah Barisan chairman Datuk Bung Moktar accused PBS for betraying Barisan on numerous occasions.
He said PBS had repeatedly accused Upko of being a traitor after the latter decided to leave Barisan following the general election to team up with the Parti Warisan-led Pakatan Harapan state government.
“When Upko left Barisan, PBS accused Upko of being a traitor. (At the Sabah Barisan convention on Saturday), Bung said that PBS had actually betrayed Barisan numerous times.
"We hope PBS will realise this and look at themselves in the mirror. They need to assess themselves and stop slandering Upko,” he said in a statement.
According to Saang, if PBS was sincere, they would leave the government that is backed by Umno and stop their political drama.
“They claim to fight at the frontline when in fact they are still hiding behind Umno-Barisan to defend their ranks and positions in government.
“Based on the recent statement by PBS president Datuk Dr. Maximus Ongkili, they were aware of what the ‘BN component party’ had done, but they seemed to have allowed the act to this day just to maintain power," he said, referring to Ongkili's claim that a Barisan party was behind the issuance of Malaysian identity cards to foreigners.
“We would be happy if PBS would finally realise that Upko’s decision to leave Barisan was not a betrayal, but a sacrifice to ensure that the sovereignty and interests of Sabah are safeguarded and protected, " Saang added.
PBS is now a member of the five party Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), which is in coalition with Sabah Barisan in the state government.
Ongkili's remarks triggered a storm of attacks by Umno leaders during the Sabah Barisan convention, with some calling PBS ungrateful and Bung demanding that Ongkili apologise for his claims.
GRS chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, who is Chief Minister, said that there was nothing to worry over the tiff between Umno and PBS, just saying that it was normal in politics to have political differences.
"They are still in government, their relationship is good," he added.
