I write this column with great reluctance and some trepidation, but write I must.

The reluctance springs from the fact that the subject deals with a not happy occasion; in fact this is an understatement, it deals with a national development of great import but one that makes me want to puke.

The trepidation comes from the subject's relation to God, into whose arena mortals like me fear to tread lest I fall, not just down but short.

An omission to write will render me agitated with a restless bosom (I do have one, you know, though I am not a miss!).

Last Monday started out fine but turned black when I flipped The Star to page 2, and staring at me was the headline: "Jeffrey: Return to BN could be plan of God".

More well known as the younger brother of Joseph Pairin Kitingan, once chief minister of Sabah, Jeffrey, Ph. D. was spotlighted on TV news the previous evenng saying he was "leaving" elder brother's party, Parti Bersatu Sabah, for the second time.

I can stand his plus five comrades' defections, which have been described variously as "betraying the people's trust", "treachery to PBS", and the actors labelled as "rabbits, frogs, kangaroos". I have coined for this species a term, poli-tikus , so that I may not yell out some expletives (friends have done that creatively) which even this very liberal environment won't test its limits to print.

My consternation stemmed solely from Jeffrey's invoking the Name of God for such an "unholy" act on a commonly acknowledged "blessed" Sunday.

I was wont to immediately invoke the name of the nemesis of God to scream back at the protagonist to "Shut up! Say no more, it's all so predictable!" We have heard it all before, haven't we?

For Jeffrey, his pontification was so pathetic, rendering an encore that is so cliche and hollow, I wonder if it made brother Pairin squirm? I felt so sorry for him, Pairin, I mean, not Jeffrey.

Poltitics should remain in the arena of mortal combatants, and there is no need to resort to calling on the Name of ...

The Star ran a catchy intro: Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said his return to Barisan Nasional on Easter Sun day could be a "plan of God".

Asked whether his frequent political moves had affected his credibility, Jeffrey said: "I'm a credible person once people get to know me."

To politicians such as Jeffrey plus five who leap-frogged from PBS into PBRS (I won't even dignify them by repeating their names here), I remind them that to win the constituents' credibility, as in building confidence, "perception" is of the essence.

If the people's perception of you, Jeffrey, is that you are not trustworthy, and you're a betrayer of those who voted for you on PBS ticket, you have "zero" credibility.

No amount of pious posturings is good enough defence, and the question of salvation doesn't arise...It's only one plus five poli-tikus ' existence!

But for the recipient PBRS, it was a time for celebration, and if I may also borrow a biblical parable, akin to welcoming "the return of the prodigal son". In subsequent days, there was much fanfare as Jeffrey and the "in" + "famous" five were escorted to audiences with the prime minister and deputy prime minister at Putrajaya.

Royal treatment for knaves which I thought only comes out of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale!

A report from New Straits Times (April 27), headed "Crossover 'not linked to CM post'", quoted PBRS president, Joseph Kurup, as saying that the defection of the six PBS assemblymen has no connection with the Chief Minister's post. He said they joined PBRS to strengthen the BN in the state, besides allowing their constituents to benefit from the development brought by the state government.

Extrapolating Kurup's and Jeffrey's twisted logic, it is their wish then after every state election, the elected opposition members should make an exodus to the government side in order to be rewarded by development funds to their constituencies.

We might as well have a one party system and save the trouble of conducting general elections, and the Elections Commission can be spared the agony of being cited as a respondent in so many election petitions. I have never seen such benevolence demonstrated by elected (and in Kurup's case, appointed) representatives of lofty principles, whose consuming priority is the interests of their consitutuents! There is hope for salvation for Malaysians, especially Sabahans, yet.

Just some flashback, in case some suffer from memory lapses as do many poli-tikus by convenience. Jeffrey's introduction to a preliminary plan of God took place in 1994 when he led a pioneer group of PBS assemblymen as patriots to form the Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS). This resulted in the collapse of the Sabah government led by big brother Pairin, PBS president.

So several years from now, may we yet be entertained by another bunch of 'roos receiving Godly vision exhorting their exit from PBRS back into PBS, again? Most mortals see the light at the end of the tunnel once, but for some enlightened ones, it seems the light appears brighter each time you re-enter the tunnel...

I end with a tale from a Reader's Digest from the days of yore...with some adaptations privileged under poetic licence, I must apologise.

In the land famed for its culture, an aspiring Philippine artist once walked the streets in search of a model so that he might paint a Jesus in his youth. After much walkabout among Manila's highways and byways, alleys with its nooks and corners, he chanced upon a fresh-looking youth, clean and unblemished countenance, sporting a face that approximated the definition of a "saviour".

The result was a piece of art deemed qualified to enjoy pride of place in the National Museum, due in no small part to the right subject found at the right place at the right time.

Two decades passed, and the artist, now an national icon, was commissioned to paint a Judas Iscariot, that creature who betrayed Jesus.

So once again the artist wandered through Manila's crowded alleys, nooks and crannies, and at a red-light district, chanced upon a forlorn-looking man, with stooped shoulders, and a countenance that approximated the definition of a "traitor".

The subject was escorted back to the studio, on the promise of a warm meal and a good payment.

Executing some deft strokes and exquisite composition, the essential features of a Judas crystallised on canvas, and the maestro finished yet another masterpiece with a flourish, thanks in no small measure to a fitting model.

The subject abruptly upped and after receiving a handsome payment, dashed for the door, refusing a hot meal prepared by the painter for his assignment.

"I'm sorry master, I won't stay, for I'm so ashamed of myself. Today's happening brings back memories of a happier time some 20 years ago...I had posed as a model for an artist working on his painting to depict a young Jesus," he related in a whisper as he scurried into the darkness of the night.