KOTA KINABALU – Parti Bersatu Sabah’s (PBS) supreme council voted to retain Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili as party president today.
This comes after Ongkili had expressed his readiness to step down, while also noting that top leaders in PBS still want him to continue to lead the party.
Ongkili had won the post unopposed during the party election in June last year.
However, he set a three-year timeframe for the party to identify his successor.
“Although I have announced to step down by the next (PBS) election year, the supreme council members voted for me to stay.
“This will provide PBS ample time to identify my successor,” he said.
PBS is the oldest party in Sabah, having been established in 1985.
Two other Sabah-based parties, which have survived for over three decades, recently underwent leadership transitions.
Datuk Ewon Benedick was made Upko president after incumbent Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau decided not to run again for the seat.
Datuk Arthur Kurup, meanwhile, was made president of Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), succeeding his father Tan Sri Joseph Kurup.
Both Ewon and Arthur are young leaders representing parties that have the majority backing of the Kadazandusun and Murut communities in Sabah.
These parties are considered splinter parties of PBS. Their founding leaders were originally PBS members, namely Tan Sri Bernard Dompok (Upko) and Joseph (PBRS). – The Vibes, January 20, 2023
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