Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Joseph Pairin Kitingan has moved a motion for Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) to be expelled from Barisan Nasional during the ruling coalition’s management committee meeting yesterday.

The motion was seconded by VK Liew, president of another Sabah-based party, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), according to a source from a BN component party at the meeting.

Deputy Prime Minister and BN chief whip Najib Razak, who chaired the meeting, told journalists later that action would be taken against Sapp for their decision to back a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

sapp sabah pc 180608 01 Political observers however said a show-cause letter is likely to precede the expulsion of Sapp - the errant party led by former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee, 54 ( photo, left ).

If the show-cause letter was not forthcoming or unacceptable, Pairin’s expulsion motion will then be put to the BN supreme council meeting for a vote.

Sapp has two members of parliament and four state assemblypersons, including a Sabah deputy minister (deputy president Raymond Tan) and an assistant minister (Wanita chief Melanie Chia).

Malaysiakini also learnt that another Sabah BN component, United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko), was not present at the meeting.

It is not known whether the party, which is led by Minister in the PM’s Department Bernard Dompok, was invited to the meeting or whether it had chosen to stay away.

“Only the ‘three stooges’ attended - PBS, PBRS and LDP,” said the source. PBRS, or United Sabah People’s Party, is head by Joseph Kurup.

Yong has yet to meet ACA officials

Meanwhile, Sapp secretary-general Richard Yong told Malaysiakini that he was “the least surprised” if the two component parties - PBS and LDP - had wanted Sapp expelled.

“PBS will fill our vacant seats - both the elected seats and the seats in the cabinet,” he added.

On the alleged threats and intimidation to the party's two MPs - Eric Majimbun (Sepanggar) and Dr Chua Soi Bui (Tawau) - following Sapp’s decision to move or support a motion of no-confidence, he said the duo had yet to lodge police reports.

“They will wait for the appropriate time to do so,” he said.

He also said that Sapp chief Yong had yet to meet ACA senior officials in Kuala Lumpur to have his statement recorded relating to an alleged RM5 million corruption claim.

The party headquarters had yesterday contacted ACA to ask for the date and time the Sapp boss would be required to attend the meeting.

Yong was to have gone to the ACA office yesterday afternoon but this was put off due to some reasons, and according to the party secretary-general, the appointment would likely to be either today or tomorrow.

“Yes, Yong is in Kota Kinabalu,” he said.