By WU VUIDE
KOTA BELUD: United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) president Datuk Ewon Benedick said the party must continue to play a role in strengthening unity and cooperation among Sabah-based political parties to reinforce support for local political coalitions in the state.
He said efforts to strengthen unity among Sabah’s local parties are in line with the spirit of “Sabah First”, one of the party’s core principles.
“Let us begin, and Kadamaian must contribute to the unity and cooperation of Sabah local parties.
“I want to see the entire Upko machinery in Kota Belud, especially in Kadamaian, with all our branches and members contributing to the unity of Sabah local parties. This is what we mean by Sabah First,” he said.
He said this while delivering his policy speech at the Upko Kota Belud Division Triennial General Meeting at Kadamaian Square here.
Ewon, who is also Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III, said local parties should avoid a culture of attacking one another and instead strengthen cooperation for the benefit of the people and Sabah’s future.
“Let us not attack other Sabah local parties. Instead, we should work together.
“Hopefully, when that happens, Kadamaian will be easier to develop, Kota Belud will be easier to defend, and Sabah will be easier for us to safeguard,” he said.
According to him, past experience has shown that challenges remain in strengthening Sabah’s political consensus, including on issues involving the state’s interests at the national level.
“We should learn from what happened before. Simply because we were part of a national coalition, there were parties in Kuala Lumpur that did not support matters related to Sabah.
“This can happen if we do not strengthen the coalition of Sabah local parties,” he said.
In this regard, he explained that Upko’s decision to apply to join Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) was driven by its desire to strengthen the coalition of local parties in the state.
“On May 29, we officially submitted an application to the Chief Minister, in his capacity as GRS chairman, for Upko to become a component party.
“Our intention is to make GRS strong, just as the Sabah Alliance Party Coalition was in 1963,” he said.
He said many leaders within GRS had previously been members of national parties and understood the challenges Sabah faces in defending its rights and interests.
“We must contribute to the strength of local parties through the leadership of the Chief Minister. That is why we applied to join Gabungan Rakyat Sabah,” he said.
However, Ewon stressed that Upko’s participation in GRS would not diminish the party’s role in championing issues affecting the people and the state.
“Our participation in GRS does not reduce our willingness to speak out on the various issues we have long championed.
“Nor does it diminish our role as a political party in this country, particularly in Sabah,” he said.
Ewon said Upko’s main focus is to see Sabah governed by local parties that are able to stand as strong and equal as other states within the Federation of Malaysia.
“Our primary focus is how Sabah will be led by Sabah local parties in the future.
“This is important so that we can stand as strong as Sarawak and be as firm as our counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.
According to him, Upko’s participation in GRS is also expected to contribute to efforts to strengthen the State Government and better prepare for the next election.
“Is it not our aspiration to see Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Sabah local parties contest all constituencies in the election?
“This is our focus — strengthening the coalition of Sabah local parties, beginning with our participation in GRS,” he said.
Ewon urges Upko to strengthen unity.
