KOTA KINABALU: Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah (Harapan Rakyat) will hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) soon to dissolve the party and absorb its 64,000 members into Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
Party president Datuk Lajim Ukin said all party branches across the state will automatically turn into Bersatu branches after the EGM.
He said it was better for the party, which was founded on Oct 25, 2016, to be sacrificed than to survive without being able to contribute anything to Sabah and the country.
“It wasn’t easy to make the decision to dissolve the party because we love the party. However, we have to think about the future. There is no point if we cannot contribute. It’s better for us to make sacrifices for the sake of a better direction,” he said.
Lajim said this during a press conference after chairing a Harapan Rakyat Supreme Council meeting, which was also attended by his deputy Datuk Maijol Mahap here today.
Lajim said the move the dissolve the party was in line with the party’s wish to make significant contributions to the development of Sabah and the nation, as well as to fulfil to the aspirations of Sabahans through Bersatu.
“What is in our minds are the commitment and promise of the Pakatan Harapan government, which recognised Sabah and Sarawak as partners with the peninsula and the restoration of the rights of Sabah and Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
“We are confident that Parti Warisan Sabah, PKR, DAP, Parti Amanah Negara, Upko and Bersatu can join hands in Sabah considering the fact that the state is lagging behind in terms of development,” ha added.
On a related matter, Lajim said his party would leave it to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is also Bersatu chairman, to decide the best person to lead Bersatu in Sabah.
“We met with Datuk Hajiji Noor (former Sabah Umno liaison committee chairman) and have agreed to work together in Bersatu. The issue of leadership is up to Dr Mahathir to decide,” he said.
Lajim also said Bersatu’s entry into Sabah would not have a negative effect on other PH component parties and Warisan as Bersatu was willing to cooperate with them.
He said the issue of Bersatu being an “outsider party” did not arise as the people of Sabah needed a party from the peninsula to strengthen the Sabah government’s position.