KOTA KINABALU, 30 Sept 2008: United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok may be avoiding the topic of Upko reviewing its position in the Barisan Nasional (BN). However, he is strongly backing his deputy in the recent problem involving a mistake by the National Registration Department (NRD).
Brushing aside the media frenzy, following party deputy president Datuk Seri Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing’s statement on 27 Sept that the party would review its position in the coalition — less than two weeks after Sabah Progressive Party left the BN — Dompok noted that the issue here was the NRD’s incompetence in dealing with cases like that of 78-year-old Yong Lee Hua, who was issued a permanent residence status after she lost her Malaysian identity card in 2007.
“You are missing the point, you see, he (Bumburing) is saying this out of the frustration felt by a lot of the members in the party.
“There are a lot of things that should be looked at properly, and this is one of them, because over the years, such problems seem linked to the department,” he told reporters after the pre-council meeting here.
Dompok said he remembered an occasion, when he was chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Integrity, when the department itself admitted its mistake in giving two illegal immigrants Malaysian identity cards.
“I think what has been mentioned by Wilfred was the frustration within the party,” he said.
Last week, Bumburing expressed dissatisfaction over the manner in which the NRD handled Yong’s case. He said if it was found that this was not an isolated case, it would warrant a review of the party’s position in the BN.
Asked to comment on Deputy Chief Minister and Sabah Umno secretary Datuk Yahya Hussin’s statement that BN component parties should back one another in times of trouble to demonstrate the BN spirit, Dompok said: “I don’t think I want to make any comment on that, tomorrow is Hari Raya, I think all of us want to celebrate with our friends.”
He said the meeting today only discussed party matters pertaining to the upcoming delegates conference and did not discuss reviewing the party’s position in the BN. — Bernama
