Frustrated PBS yet again cries foul over power sharing and illegal immigrants

				By Ezra Haganez Penampang, SABAH: Eight years after rejoining Barisan Nasional (BN) in 2002, today Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) at its 25th annual general meeting here yet registered its dissatisfaction on two things in BN : Unfair power-sharing, and the presence of illegal immigrants in the state. PBS passed the two resolutions calling on the BN state leadership to come up with a fairer power-sharing formula, and to quickly resolve the perennial problems of a large presence of illegal immigrants by 2012. This two isues had been a must topic at PBS previous AGMs, either as motion/resolution or points of discussion while debating other motions. Today, PBS Vice Presidents, Datuk Herbert Timbon Lagadan, and Datuk Radin Malleh, read the respective motions, prepared by the party's supreme council. They were not a motion from the floor, rather from the supreme council, as explaind by Lagadan. This, give credence to talks that PBS is far from satisfied with how Sabah is run by the UMNO-led BN coalition in the state. Lagadan when putting up the motion, said the Opposition is using the unfair power-sharing in Sabah as their weapon to lure away support from non-UMNO component parties like PBS. "We cannot ignore the complaints from the grassroots... BN has to establish that there is a fair formula in sharing political and economic opportunities in Sabah.. Just look at the composition in civil service, in GLCs and other opportunities, indeed we need to have a fair power sharing," he lamented. Earlier in his almost two-hour long Policy Speech, PBS President, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, also cited cases of unfair power-sharing in several state constituencies held by PBS (he didn't mention the areas) where out of 14 political appointees as Wakil Ketua Anak Negeri (Native Chief Deputies), only one is from PBS. "Our intention to highlight this again is merely to help strengthen BN... We will bring up this again to the attention of Chief Minister again," he said. The ageing and somehow lame-duck Pairin spent a good one-third of his speech reminiscing PBS early days including during the time when he fought his former BERJAYA boss, Harris Salleh, as early as 1982, and then subsequently winning a forced by-election in Tambunan as indepndent candidate back in 1984. PBS was registered on March 5, 1985, and barely 47 days later it went to trounch BERJAYA-BN in a general election that hastily called by a threathened Harris. A copy of Pairin's 22-page policy speech, made available to the press, saw the PBS President, cancelled a four paragraphs reference to the issue of barring non-Muslims from using the word "Allah" to refer to their God. Insiders said, PBS deputy president Dr Maximus Ongkili, had a last-minute say in convincing Pairin not to mention he "Allah" issue, for reasons best known to both men. Ongkili, who is a Federal Minister, after Lagadan and Radin, also moved a motion of support to Prime Minister Najib Razak's initiatives to propel progress of the nation especially the Government Transformation Programme. The mood of the PBS delegates is best described as lacklustre today. Only a handful observers turned out, and delegates are restless moving around while meeting is going on.