Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman has refuted claims by PKR that some 1,700 Umno and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) members in Kalabakan have left their respective parties to join PKR.

Saying that the claims were mere empty talks, Musa, who is also Sabah Umno chief, said the party did not receive any reports on the matter.

musa aman pc in sabah 190608 01 "What are they talking about? They just want to make themselves happy... They have nothing else to do, unlike us (the government) we are very busy, they just talk a lot," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

PBS deputy president Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili also echoed Musa's statement.

Nevertheless, Ongkili, who is Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, said the party would check the matter with the division concerned.

In a statement issued to the local media yesterday, PKR claimed that some 1,700 members from both parties in Kalabakan had submitted their application forms to join PKR on Sunday.

Demo against coal-fired power plant

Meanwhile, asked on the Sabah Progressive Party's plan to stage a peaceful demonstration tomorrow to protest against the setting up of a coal-fired power plant in Sabah, Musa said, the party should instead focus their attention on other fruitful things.

"As I said many times, we are listening to views and opinions of the people. In any case, we are still waiting for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report. Until now, we have not made any decision.

"There is no need to waste time staging demonstrations or protests, it's not necessary," he said.

Many environmentalists protested the idea of a coal-fired plant - to meet the electricity demand in Sabah's east coast - at the proposed area within the Seguntor Bay in Sandakan.

The government, however, has repeatedly assured that any decision on the matter would be based on the EIA report.