Pairin may not defend Keningau seat

By Luke Rintod of FMT
Indications within PBS are that its
president Joseph Pairin Kitingan
is ready to retire but is being
held back by worried party leaders.
TAMBUNAN : It is almost certain now that Sabah’s longest- serving assemblyman and Deputy Chief Minister, Joseph Pairin Kitingan, will not be defending his parliamentary and state seats in the coming 13th general election.

Although Pairin, who is president of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), has in the past said that he was prepared to defend both his Keningau parliamentary and Tambunan state seats, signals from within his PBS indicate otherwise.

Pairin, 72, has been the Tambunan state assemblyman since 1976 when he first won the seat for Berjaya at the age 36. Ten years later in 1986, he started winning the Keningau parliamentary seat.
Party insiders note that the old man of PBS is said to be slowing down and had in fact given signals to his close family members and inner circle that he might forego the larger Keningau seat which covers Tambunan, Liawan and Bingkor state constituencies.


The Keningau parliamentary constituency covers a huge area of 3,533 sq km, equivalent to the combined size of Penang, Malacca and Perlis.

PBS insiders, however, said the ageing Sabah deputy chief minister is still keen to be renominated as Tambunan assemblyman, the place that holds many sentimental values to him personally and politically.

In 1984, in defiance of then ruling Berjaya, the Tambunan electorate, in a by-election forced against Pairin, voted him again as an Independent candidate against Berjaya’s candidate.

Autocratic chief minister Harris Salleh punished them by abrogating the district status of Tambunan and withdrew funds from it.

A PBS leader met after attending a meeting at PBS headquarters in Donggongon recently told FMT that while many, including in state Barisan Nasional circle, still wished Pairin to stand in both seats, the man himself thinks it is unwise to do so.

Pairin, who is also the “Huguan Siou” or paramount chief of all the Kadazandusuns, is also said to be concerned about a possible negative impact on the morale within PBS if he completely withdraws from the state political scene.

“The mere mention by Pairin of that possibility to retire in PBS meetings is enough for the whole PBS supreme council leaders to come on their feet to advise him not to pursue the matter.

“PBS leaders like Herbert Timbun Lagadan and Johnny Mositun and even Radin Malleh, Jahid Jahim and others would not allow that to happen.

“That is how they hold Pairin in high esteem,” said the leader who requested anonymity.

Family members eyeing Keningau

Lagadan, a PBS vice-president and Kadamaian assemblyman, like others in PBS, is one who openly believes Pairin commands total unity within multi-racial PBS, but which had seen a decrease in popularity among the Kadazandusuns.

In fact, almost all PBS leaders believe so and said this in their speeches at the party’s recently-concluded annual general meetings at divisional level.

Pairin’s staying power is expected to be once again highlighted and appreciated at PBS coming annual congress which has been scheduled either at end of next month or in November at the famous Hongkod Koisaan complex.

PBS supreme council is meeting later today, among others, to discuss the party’s upcoming congress and also preparations for the general election.

Meanwhile, a PBS Youth leader, also met recently, confided that Pairin was very likely not going for both Keningau and Tambunan seats at the coming polls.

“No, no, I don’t think he [Pairin] will go for both. Only one this time…” said the Youth leader.

The issue of Pairin foregoing the Keningau MP seat is expected to heat up with many names already popping up to take his place as PBS-BN candidate for Keningau.

Among the names are Dr Maximus Ongkili (currently MP for Kota Marudu), Daniel Kinsik, Peter Jino Aliun and Alexander, Pairin’s eldest son. Interestingly, all the names proposed are close family members of Pairin.

Pairin formed PBS in March 1985 and has led the party to victories in four successive state elections in 1985, 1986, 1990 and 1994.

He was Sabah chief minister from April 1985 to March 1994, when his nine-year term ended abruptly on March 17, 1994 when PBS, then outside of BN, lost its majority in the State Legislative Assembly to Umno-led BN after 26 or almost all of its own assemblymen defected.

31 comments:

  1. Please refer to the followign statement by Pairin, publish in malaysiakini.com:

    "The 13th general election will be the last that Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is also the president of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), will be contesting as a candidate."

    source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/209625

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Datuk Pairin tahu apa yang perlu dibuat mengenai kerusi Keningau ini. Mungkin ini keputusan yang terbaik untuk diri beliau sendiri.

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    2. Semoga nanti Sabah akan ada calon yang terbaik seperti Datuk Pairin. Beliau pemimpin yang berjiwa rakyat dan cuba yang termampu untuk memperjuangkan hak penduduk Sabah.

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    3. Jika Datuk Pairin tidak bertanding lagi, harap penganti beliau dapat buat yang terbaik seperti beliau juga.

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    4. itu keputusa pairin untuk tidak bertanding lagi.

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  2. Yes or not, BN is strong and confident with their capability.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susah nak kalahkan BN. Entah kenapa tapi saya yakin BN akan mennag lagi.

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    2. Sebab BN sentiasa menunaikan janji yang di beri kepada rakyat.

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  3. Well PBS is still behind him so I don't think his fights won't just died down.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Belia PBS juga masih menyokong penuh kepada kepimpinan Pairin.

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  4. I believed they already have strong back up since they are standing strong now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saya setuju, bagaimanapun kita lihat sajalah ya.

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  5. Pairin memang keberatan untuk meninggalkan jawatan itu namun saya rasa dia sudah bersedia.

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    Replies
    1. Tak palah Pairin. Ada juga pengganti ko yang hebat tu:)

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  6. " So, kamurang happy la ", this statement makes me feel sad.

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  7. Apa pun kekurangan Pairin dulu, ingatlah bahawa dia cuma manusia biasa yang pandai berbuat salah.

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    Replies
    1. Saya tetap hormat Pairin dan berterima kasih dengan apa yang telah dilakukannya utk KDM dan juga rakyat Sabah yang lain.

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    2. Sentiasa akan menghormati beliau sebagai antara pemimpin yang terbaik dan apa yang di buat untuk menaik taraf KDM.

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  8. Wish you a happy retire life.

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  9. Apapun pilihan atau haluan yang Pairin pilih, I wish him all the best:)

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  10. jasa pairin harus kita kenangi.

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  11. Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan has confirmed his intention to run in the 13th general election, quashing rumours of his early retirement. Speaking to reporters after attending the Shell Traffic Educational programme here yesterday, the state's long-serving assemblyman said the plan was to defend both his Keningau parliamentary seat and Tambunan state seat.

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  12. Pairin, 72, who is also Sabah's deputy chief minister, said he planned to retire by the 14th general election."How do they know? You should quote what I said also -- that I am ready to contest," Pairin said of various online news quoting party insiders who claimed that he would be slowing down in the coming election.

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  13. A Free Malaysia Today article claimed that Pairin would not contest the larger Keningau seat, which covers three state constituencies, but that he was still keen to be renominated as Tambunan assemblyman.The Huguan Siou, or paramount leader of the Kadazandusun community, was also said to be concerned about a possible negative impact on morale within PBS if he withdrew from the state political scene. "I will retire, but not for this election.

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  14. "What I have planned and what I've discussed with my colleagues, is to contest this coming general election but not in the elections after that. I want to retire in the 14th general election. I hope those people concerned will be happy."Pairin has been Tambunan state assemblyman for 36 years since 1976 when he first won the seat under a Berjaya ticket. Pairin won and has retained the Keningau seat since 1986.On the latest progress of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah, Pairin said the state government thankful that the letters of appointment were finally presented to the RCI panel members in Putrajaya.

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  15. inilah contoh pemimpin yang bertanggungjawab terhadap rakyat.. bila tiba masanya yang difikirkan sesuai untuk undur diri, tanpa perlu diminta beliau akan melakukan tindakan itu..

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  16. tidak seperti pemimpin2 pembangkang yang asyik kehulu kehilir berkempen untuk mendapatkan jawatan kabinet negeri atau persekutuan..

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jeffrey, Yong Teck Lee, Anwar, Hadi, Lim Kit Siang dan Nik Aziz patut juga berundur dari politik selepas PRU13.. bagi la laluan kepada pemimpin2 muda..

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  18. apa2pun keputusan yang diambil oleh Pairin, hormat saja la.. tidak perlu dipolitikkan atai disensasikan..

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  19. ketika Pairin bercadang untuk berundur, adiknya pula semakin gairah mahu merampas jawatan KM Sabah.. malah semakin gairah mahu memisahkan Sabah dari Malaysia supaya dia boleh jadi PM yang pertama untuk Sabah..

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  20. Tunggu dan lihat pengumuman calon BN nanti.

    ReplyDelete