KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah chapter of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) is back in place and is gearing up to win the state back as well as seats lost through defections.
Sabah Bersatu secretary Abdul Kadir Damsal said that all the 24 of the 25 divisions have already been re-set with new leaders and its committees are in place after top leaders left the party during an exodus led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor last year.
"Contrary to the claims by those who quit the party with Hajiji last December, our grassroots have largely remained intact. We have reorganised and strengthened our positions at both branch and division levels," he said on Monday (Sept 4).
Abdul Kadir said this after a weekend briefing for state leaders organised with Bersatu Law and Constitution Bureau chairman Tan Sri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad.
The only division untouched by the exodus was Beluran, which is led by Sabah Bersatu chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee, who is also a party vice president.
Kiandee is the only MP left with Sabah Bersatu, which lost all its assemblymen in the exodus.
Aside from Kiandee, the Kinabatangan and Kudat division heads remained but both lost committee members in the mass defections.
Kiandee opened the briefing attended by 156 division heads, committee members as well as the various wings (youth and wanita). Abdul Kadir said, adding that there was a good show of solidarity among all the new party leaders.
Since leaving Bersatu on Dec 9 last year, Hajiji is now the Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) president.
It leads the seven-party Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition that has aligned itself with Pakatan Harapan-led federal unity government.
Sabah Bersatu, which was a member of GRS, was pushed out of the GRS coalition that took over the state government under the Perikatan Nasional banner in the snap state election in Sept 2020.
Abdul Kadir said that with Perikatan gaining momentum at the national level after the six state elections in Peninsular Malaysia, there is renewed interest among the people in Sabah in Bersatu.
"Since Perikatan is gaining momentum, we have been approached by many members from other parties as well as people without parties showing an interest to join us," said Abdul Kadir.
"There are also many who remain friendly with us but will make the move when the time comes," he added.
Abduk Kadir then said Sabah Bersatu and its partners in the state Perikatan are gearing to take back the state as the state election could be called before the current Assembly term ends in 2025.
Sabah Bersatu has no assemblymen left in the party but Sabah Perikatan through its partners Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and PAS hold two state nominated seats in the assembly
