SABAH Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) rebel division chiefs have denied weekend media reports that they have withdrawn their application, filed last Thursday, to register Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS).

It also appears unlikely, in any case, that the promoters could have withdrawn their application on Saturday or Sunday which are non-working days for the Registrar of Societies (ROS). Any withdrawal would have been done last Friday.

sabah”It’s not a question of withdrawing,” clarified former Sabah PKR deputy state chief and chief promoter Daniel John Jambun who spoke on behalf of the rebel division chiefs. “Certain technical criteria have to be ironed out. These will be done by Christmas.”

Daniel confirmed that he had indeed been in touch with the ROS last Friday evening to follow-up on the PCS application.

He was commenting on speculation in the local media that he and six others with him on the pro-tem committee “withdrew the application to register the party” last Friday evening.

The former Sabah PKR state deputy chief disclosed the party’s lawyers were already going through the technical criteria and coming up with the necessary amendments to satisfy the ROS’ requirements.

He claimed that the adjustments were recommended by the ROS. “We have to make the corrections,” he reiterated. “The ROS can confirm this.”

Pressed for further details on the technical requirements he said that “some members”, presumably those in the pro-tem line, “have dual memberships.”

It is not clear why the dual memberships should bother the ROS, and if so, how he could have discovered the anomaly apparently within hours of the application being filed last Thursday. In the case of dual party memberships, it is deemed that the member had resigned from the first party. Generally, this is no concern of the ROS.

Daniel did not specify any other technical criteria required. It has been reliably learnt that not all the seven persons in the pro-tem committee may have agreed to their names being included.

‘Name reflects our love for Sabah’

Moses Iking, when told by Malaysiakini last Friday that his name was reportedly in the pro-tem committee, responded that he knew “what to do about it”. Iking is a senior PKR activist from Tambunan.

Technical criteria is normally a euphemism that covers the minutes of the first meeting convened by the party’s promoters and all supporting documents.

It’s rather unusual, even highly irregular, for the ROS to respond on the technical criteria within a day of an application being lodged. It does not appear that the party’s promoters kept badgering the ROS either for a speedy response a day later and were advised on Friday that they need to iron out certain technical details in their application form.

Daniel denies the party’s proposed name was a problem. “The name reflects Jeffrey’s and our love for Sabah,” said Daniel. “The name is not a problem. It can be changed if the ROS disagrees.”

Jeffrey is Sabah PKR Keningau division chief Jeffrey Kitingan who has since distanced himself from PCS.

Local media reports mentioned that there were differences of opinion over the proposed name for the new party.

Daniel’s take on the proposed party’s name has the support of former Sabah PKR secretary Kanul Gindol who also confirmed that “the question of submitting, withdrawing and re-submitting the application does not arise.”

“All of us (pro-tem committee members) agreed to the name,” said Kanul who is on the pro-tem committee along with Daniel.

“Everything Jeffrey does is because of his love for Sabah. It’s appropriate to call the party by the proposed name.”

Not everyone is in agreement with Daniel and Kanul, over the name.

Acting Penampang PKR division chief Bernard Solibun, who has no comments on the new party, heard that there are concerns over the name of the party.

“People worry that the name may be misconstrued and become the butt of jokes especially during elections,” said Bernard. “That’s what I heard.

Seven ‘jumped the gun’

Daniel’s comments could not be immediately confirmed with the ROS Sabah, Mathew Barin.

His office said that he was away in Putrajaya for a meeting. He did not respond to a call made to his mobile phone. Mathew had cautioned last Friday that applications are seldom complete and can be expected to undergo many amendments before being approved.

“I cannot say that the application to register Parti Cinta Sabah has been withdrawn,” said a ROS spokesperson. “Only the ROS can confirm this. The application should be going through the normal scrutiny. At this stage, we don’t know whether additional details may be required.”

He added that in the event an applicant is no longer interested in pursuing registration, “he or she can simply decide not to respond when additional details are required.” This would automatically nullify the application.

Hence, a withdrawal – implying taking back the forms – would not be necessary. Application forms, once filed with the ROS, cannot be returned. However, “an applicant is free to write in to express an intention not to pursue registration.”

The spokesperson reiterated that four months is the minimum time lag before an application can be approved. One reason for the delay is the gauntlet that applicants have to run between the ROS and the home minister, the final authority. Special Branch clearance and approval from the ROS in Putrajaya are a must before a party can be registered.

Most of the media reports on the purported withdrawal also claimed that the seven had “jumped the gun” and incurred the wrath of Jeffrey for linking his name with the party’s formation. Jeffrey remains with Sabah PKR despite resigning as party vice–president and member of the national political bureau.

Hence, “the withdrawal was to satisfy Jeffrey until he cools down.”

This would not be an unreasonable assumption to make given the tribal nature of the volatile politics in Dusun country. Also, it does appear that there are differences of opinion among PCS’s pro-tem committee members over whether to go ahead without “Jeffrey’s blessings.”

One media report mentioned that Jeffrey’s name had been linked “prematurely” with PCS. Jeffrey’s take is that the question of prematurely or otherwise does not arise.

‘I have nothing to do with the party’

“I have nothing to do with the party (PCS),” was Jeffrey’s brief response when contacted yesterday after his return from Kuala Lumpur. “I have already said it before. If some of my people are involved it may be because they are getting impatient over the stalemate in the party (PKR).”

Daniel and Kanul are neverthelss the unrepentant duo over the formation of PCS and feel that the “time has come to move on.”

They claim that PCS has the support of many Barisan Nasional members who were drawn to CIG, Common Interest Group, an apolitical ad hoc movement initiated by Jeffrey two months ago to cut across the political divide and work for Sabah and Sarawak rights.

Their claim is not being seen as far-fetched in the uncertain loyalties that bind BN component parties in Sabah “because of the Peninsular Malaysian factor.”

Jeffrey meanwhile did not say what he has been doing in Kuala Lumpur, the second trip within a week, in a shuttle diplomacy of sorts. It was reliably learnt that he has been holding rapprochement talks with emissaries from the party headquarters.

He has been consulting at the same time in Kota Kinabalu with the other 15 rebel division chiefs aligned with him. Kota Kinabalu division chief Christina Liew, it was learnt from sources in KL, also took part in the talks with party headquarters.

The talks in KL follow an email that Jeffrey and Liew received week before last from PKR director of strategies Tian Chua on the Sabah PKR ‘proposals for change and reform’ put together by rebel division chiefs in the state.

An announcement is expected soon from party headquarters on the fate of controversial Sabah PKR state chief Ahmad Thamrin Jaini, the new state line-up which has long been delayed, and the ‘proposals for change and reform’.

Already, the party headquarters has rejected a new state line-up proposed by Thamrin without the names of Jeffrey and Liew. The exclusion incurred the wrath of party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and her husband, party advisor Anwar Ibrahim.

The party headquarters has also since rejected the resignations of both rebel division chiefs from the national political bureau. Also rejected is Jeffrey’s resignation as party vice-president.

By: JOE FERNANDEZ (sabahkini)