Sabah strongman Joseph Pairin Kitingan, president of the once mighty Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), has vowed that he would not retreat from the leadership of the party – the oldest in the state - or from the politics of government in the state in the near future.

Pairin made this pledge in conjunction with his belated 69th birthday celebrations - he was born on Aug 17 - over the weekend in Kota Kinabalu. PBS supreme council members and his wife, Genevieve, were present.