PENAMPANG – Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau has stepped down as Upko’s president, indicating that he will now take on other roles to serve the party.
The Tuaran MP, who became the party’s president in 2014, said he will now serve the party as a member of the Pakatan Harapan presidential council, alongside Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is PKR president and the coalition’s chairman.
Tangau said he will be replaced by Datuk Ewon Benedick, a younger leader who he hoped would help rejuvenate Upko, despite its struggle to stay relevant in Sabah’s political landscape.
However, Tangau insisted that his resignation would allow him to represent Upko at the national level through his participation in the PH presidential council.
“I suppose my scope will be even smaller. I am still a divisional chief for Tuaran, and I will continue to play that role.
“I can have more time in Tuaran as MP and divisional chief. At the same time, I will still play other roles as I am still very much part of Upko and the PH presidential body,” he told reporters after delivering his address at the Upko congress held at the Penampang Cultural Hall here today.
Benedick, who officially became Upko president today, was not present at the congress, as he was attending the federal ministers’ retreat.
Tangau, 65, said he has no words to impart to his successor, but pointed out that he wants the latter to focus on growing the party.
Since its inception in 1994, Upko became known for its outspokenness on the use of the word Allah, as well as native customary land matters, the Malaysia Agreement 1963, and the development of Sabah from the time the party was led by Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.
Upko had also undergone numerous changes over the years, one of which took place under Tangau, who rebranded the party from the United Pasok Momogun Organisation to the United Progressive Kinabalu Party in June last year.
Tangau noted that while the situation in Sabah has improved, especially on the issue of rights, he said both the state and Sarawak must seek one-third of the country’s development allocation in the smart development initiative pledged by Pakatan Harapan during the recent general election (GE15).
“I don’t want the regions of Sabah and Sarawak to continue to be trapped in poverty for the next 20 or 30 more years.
“We should not talk about the lack of amenities anymore or the existence of dilapidated schools anymore. This is the reality now in Sabah,” he said.
Tangau was Tuaran MP from November 1999 to March 2008, before being re-elected in 2013 and during GE15.
He also previously served as the state’s deputy chief minister, trade and industry minister, and federal science, technology, and innovation minister. – The Vibes, January 15, 2023
