UPKO RATTLED OVER TALKS BUMBURING HAS QUIT

By : MICHAEL KAUNG

RUMOURS are making the rounds that Upko Deputy President, Wilfred Bumburing has quit to join Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's team.

SABAH Barisan Nasional component, United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko), is rattled over talks that its Deputy President, Wilfred Bumburing is ready to quit the party for failing to accomplish much in the state.

Rumours in recent few weeks that Bumburing has 'already' joined the opposition has shaken members, forcing Party President, Bernard Dompok to issue a denial over the weekend.

Denying such speculation, Dompok blamed the opposition for bringing attention to Bumburing’s position in the party.

“It is pure rumour and speculation. He is a friend of mine and a member of the party and my deputy. I have just spoken to him and he sounded out that there is this type of talk being circulated but it is not true,” he reportedly told a local newspaper.

Dompok was asked about the situation within Upko, a minor BN coalition member.

Indications that the general election will be called soon have caused concerns over the allocation of seats, which had reached a nail-biting stage.

Interestingly, Bumburing, the MP for Tuaran, has remained silent on the matter.

According to those in the know, Bumburing and former MP Wilfred Madius Tangau, also of Upko, had made a deal in the 2008 general election.

The deal was that Bumburing would stand for one term as MP and Tangau would be given the seat in the 13th general election.

Since then, Bumburing has been eyeing the Tamparuli state seat which is currently held by Parti Bersatu Sabah’s (PBS) Jahid Jahim. Jahim is also Sabah Assistant Sports Minister.

Bumburing miffed

According to sources, Bumburing is miffed that Dompok has done little to lobby for the Tamparuli seat for which he was assemblyman during PBS reign.

PBS is unlikely to relinquish the seat to accommodate Upko and the fact that Jahim won the seat for the party with a bigger majority than he (Bumburing) did during PBS reign will have a major effect on any kind of horse-trading within the BN ahead of the election.

“Bumburing is going against the wall if he insists on the Tamparuli seat. He no doubt can claim that he has the support of the community in Tamparuli, Tuaran, Kota Belud, Kota Marudu and Kudat, but is that enough?” asked a political observer.

The observer said it is well known that Upko has two camps - one supporting Dompok and the other aligned to Bumburing.

Bumburing is seen as an outspoken leader who has made it a habit to demand that the federal government resolve the long-standing illegal immigrant issue in Sabah.

According to the local political grapevine, Bumburing is fed up and has left the party after Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak declined to give the go-ahead to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the matter.

Talk has quickly spread that Bumburing, feeling snubbed after pushing the issue for well over a decade, was set to join PKR.

Others are saying he has joined former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (AMM), an NGO, and would stand as an independent.

According to yet another political source, another factor in Bumburing favouring this route is that he has to make way in Tuaran for Tangau, the former MP who made way for Bumburing to contest the Tuaran seat in the last election.

Both Bumburing and Tangau have been beating the anti-illegal immigrant battle drum on the alleged 'Project IC' where illegal immigrants were supposedly granted citizenship papers and voting rights in return for supporting the Barisan Nasional.

Battle brewing

Tangau, who is now Upko Secretary-General, has, like Bumburing, maintained that elections in Sabah are a fraud and that Upko’s position on the matter has been consistent and that an RCI should be established to clean up the electoral roll.

“So if Bumburing does move on, Tangau will continue to push for the RCI on the inside… Bumburing can apply pressure from the outside,” said a former political operative who has close ties to the BN party.

“This may all be a ploy by the party leaders to show they still have ammunition to make things hot for BN.

“They do not want to be taken for granted even though they have not achieved much for the state and are seen as a mosquito party,” the person said.

Meanwhile, Dompok indicated that a battle is brewing within the BN over the constituencies coalition members were given in the last general election. (FMT)