Rebel division chiefs want autonomy for Sabah PKR

Rebel division chiefs in Sabah PKR want the party headquarters in Petaling Jaya to cut loose the state chapter from its central control.

Sixteen of the party's 25 divisions in the state rejected the appointment of Libaran division chief Ahmad Thamrin Jaini as the new state chief on Oct 25.

Autonomy aside, the alternative is the emergence of a new multiracial platform to take up local issues, especially Sabah rights.

The proposed new vehicle is prepared to work with the Sabah Peoples' Progressive Party (Sapp) and Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition alliance of PKR, PAS and DAP.

This was the stark message that a two-man visiting peace team from the party headquarters heard during a two-hour meet in Kota Kinabalu yesterday evening.

The team was led by PKR director of strategy Tian Chua ( right ). The other member was Michael Bong, the Sarawak PKR advisor.

Keningau division chief Jeffrey Kitingan sketched the broad scenario on behalf of the rebel division chiefs in a telephone interview with malaysiakini after the talks.

"Basically, our desire for change and reform in the Sabah chapter of the party has been expressed in the Sept 20 memorandum," agreed Jeffrey.

"Additional points were stated in my Oct 28 letter of resignation where I explored the possibility of a second chance for PKR in Sabah."

The opposition strongman, who recently resigned as vice-president, was quick to add that the final 'Sabah PKR Proposals for Change and Reform' would also include something new.

'Ball is now in their court'

However, he wants to keep these under wraps for the moment. Speculation is rife that the rebel division chiefs want the party headquarters to look at compliance with the 1963 Malaysia Agreement and amend its constitution accordingly.

Asked how he would explain his willingness to negotiate with the party headquarters given his Oct 28 statement that he had "burnt his bridges", Jeffrey did not see a problem.

"As far as we are concerned, nothing has changed. I still stand by my statement," he said. "The ball is now in the other court."

The emergence of the Sabah chapter of PKR as a party in its own right, according to Jeffrey, was in line with his "burnt my bridges" statement.

He added: "The emergence of an independent Sabah PKR would be in recognition of the fact that Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia are equal partners in the Federation. This is provided under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement."

The manner in which Thamrin was appointed state chief, despite allegedly having only nine division chiefs behind him, was the last straw for the rebel divisions who backed Jeffrey ( left ) for the post in an Oct 7 resolution and an Oct 25 fax to party headquarters.

Thamrin has yet to announce a new state line-up pending approval by the party's national political bureau.

There had been numerous other incidents before, it is alleged, where the party headquarters had interfered in the internal affairs of the Sabah chapter.

"These are outlined briefly in my Oct 28 letter," said Jeffrey. "Other aspects have been covered in the Sept 20 memorandum ."

Pending a reply from party headquarters, Jeffrey said that he would be pursuing the Common Interest Group (CIG), which reportedly has reached out to component parties of the BN, especially PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah), helmed by his elder brother Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

Mass resignations on hold

The CIG is an ad-hoc movement focused on reaching a consensus on Sabah rights issues in a non-political, unstructured way.

He agreed that for the moment, the planned dissolutions of divisions and mass resignations are on hold, but not for long.

Three party divisions - Keningau, Pensiangan and Tenom - were set to announce their dissolutions yesterday.

The three had been expected to be the first to set off a chain reaction. At least 14 to 18 divisions are expected to dissolve and their members quit en masse.

Jeffrey headed a seven-man panel which represented the rebel divisions at the talks.

The others with him, according to sources, were Kota Kinabalu division chief Christina Liew ( right ), Kimanis division chief and third state chief Awang Tengah, former deputy state chief Daniel John Jambun, Batu Sapi division chief Nahalan Damsal, Putatan division chief Awang Ahmad Shah and senior PKR activist Moses Iking, the father of local celebrity Daphne Iking.

Bong claimed modestly that he was just tagging along with Tian Chua since he "had some experience with dispute resolution in Sarawak".

He declined to dwell on the specifics of the meet as he "was not authorised to do so". "There is always hope," said Bong.

"The atmosphere at the talks was cordial. We listened. They listened. Something can come out of this."

Bong disclosed that he has known Jeffrey for 40 years and could help to build bridges between Sabah and the national leadership.

He added that like Tian Chua, he was holding an open ticket for the return leg to Kuala Lumpur and could stay back in Kota Kinabalu longer if needed.

Bong had in the past vehemently denied being a go-between in Sabah.

Tian Chua likewise claimed that he was not authorised to go public with the reasons for his trip to Sabah. "I'm here just to listen and convey the message to the party leadership," he said.

He declined to dwell on suggestions that the peace mission had a hidden agenda to stall the rebel division chiefs and buy time.

"I don't want to talk about it," said Tian Chua who bristled at suggestions that he was no great help and was in fact wasting his time in Sabah.

"I'm just doing what I was told to do. As a national party leader, I have the right to come here. I have just been to Johor and Malacca."

Asked why he was making a visit now when the horses were on the verge of fleeing the stables, he claimed that "now was as good a time as any".

"We still have time to bolt the stable doors," claimed Tian Chua.