Bumburing's Frustration Felt By Party Members

The Borneo Post Online

KOTA KINABALU: United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok may be avoiding the topic of Upko reviewing its position in Barisan Nasional (BN).

However, he is strongly backing his deputy in the recent blowout involving a mistake by National Registration Department (NRD).

Brushing aside the media frenzy, following party deputy president Datuk Seri Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing’s statement last Saturday that the party would review its position in the coalition — less than two weeks after a Sabah component party left BN — Dompok noted that the issue here was NRD’s incompetence in dealing with cases like 78-year-old Yong Lee Hua who was issued a permanent residency (PR) status after she lost her Malaysian identity card last year.

“You are missing the point, you see, he (Bumburing) is saying this out of the frustration felt by a lot of members in the party.

“There are a lot of things that should be looked at properly, and this is one of them, because over the years, such problems seem linked to the department,” he told reporters after the pre-council meeting here yesterday.

Dompok said he remembered an occasion when the department itself admitted its mistake in giving two illegal immigrants Malaysian identity cards when he chaired the Parliamentary Select and Integrity Committee in the past.

“I think what has been mentioned by Wilfred (Mojilip Bumburing) was the frustration within the party,” he said.

Last week, Bumburing expressed dissatisfaction over the manner the department handled Yong’s case, saying it warranted the party to review its position in the BN if this was found to be not just an isolated case.

Asked to comment on Deputy Chief Minister and Sabah Umno secretary Datuk Yahya Hussin’s statement that BN component parties should back one another in times of trouble to show the spirit of BN, Dompok said: “I don’t think I want to make any comment on that, tomorrow is Hari Raya, I think all of us want to celebrate with our friends.”

He said in the meeting yesterday, they only discussed party matters pertaining to the upcoming delegates conference and did not discuss reviewing the party’s position in the BN.

Meanwhile, Dompok, who was returned unopposed as party president, thanked party members for having confidence in him to lead the party.

— Bernama