KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Christina Liew has urged party members to stay calm after the change of the coalition's state leadership. Liew, the PKR Kota Kinabalu division chief, said they should be humble and continue to work diligently for the party. She said her loss was only by a slim margin of three votes.
The result led to the local-based party United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) president Datuk Ewon Benedick helming the PH coalition last week.
Liew, who is also state Tourism, Culture and Environment minister, said the election result had created some confusion among members as PKR was one of the founders of PH. She added that Sabah PKR respects the new leadership and should continue PKR's agenda.
"Whether people respect us or not, thinking that we are irrelevant already (following the election result) that's not important. We started from an opposition party, but we are not in the opposition now.
"I just want to advise PKR members throughout Sabah, division chiefs and supporters, to remain calm and that we continue working like what we did over the last 25 years.
"After 25 years, we set up the first PKR branch here. And then a few years later, we had PH. At the time when I was appointed as PH chairman, we were still in the opposition.
"We went through difficult times and challenges, but we held on strongly and were united," she told the media after celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of Jesselton Hotel here.