LABUAN – Upko vice-president Datuk Ewon Benedick, who is openly eyeing the post of party president, wants any leadership transition not to be dragged down by deadlines, and has brushed aside a call for the internal contest to be delayed until after the 15th general election (GE15).
He said the party, a component of Pakatan Harapan, should progress based on the will of the majority and on the principles of democratic practice upon which the Sabah-based party was founded, with views of all quarters duly valued.
“When we rebranded our party (to be known as United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation), we were able to do this when we respected the call of the majority,” he said during an Upko meeting held in Labuan last night.
“The goals of the party could not be decided by only one person or only by a select few as Upko is made up by all their members.
“If we truly want to be at the forefront of the people’s struggle, we must start respecting the needs of the majority in the party,” he added.
Benedick, who is also the Kadamaian assemblyman, said this following a call by the youth wing of the party’s Tuaran division to delay the party’s leadership transition to after GE15, which is due by September next year.
Benedick has made no secret of his intention to take the top post in Upko and will face incumbent president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau in doing so.
On Sunday, Tangau, who is Tuaran MP, endorsed the motion to carry out a leadership transition after the election during the division’s triennial general meeting.
The party is expected to have its polls sometime in October during Upko’s triennial general meeting.
Tangau was appointed as acting president from 2014 to 2018 following the retirement of Tan Sri Bernard Dompok as party president.
He became party president thereafter.
Benedick said a leadership change is a regular matter. He stressed that it can happen any time before or after an election, and does not necessarily disrupt the party’s focus in winning the election.
“For instance, Upko Kota Belud is where it is today because of a drastic leadership transition that happened in 2013. This could also mean a change could further strengthen the party. It should not be seen as a problem,” he said.
Benedick said the leadership change in Upko is also not an issue as the state and federal elections are now held separately and therefore the question of timing does not arise. Instead, it is about whether the party wants to respect the call of the majority.
In June, Upko’s Penampang division had endorsed in its general meeting that all party positions should be contested including the post of party president. – The Vibes, July 27, 2022
