Friday, November 18, 2016
By Olivia Miwill
Pictures by Edmund Samunting
PENAMPANG: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan affirms he will step down soon saying he has set his mind on playing with his grandchildren and writing a book he started.
The 76-year-old veteran politician, who has two sons and seven young grandchildren, expressed his wish to retire from his political career.
“I have talked about transition plan in my opening speech for the PBS 31st annual congress, that is the signal that I would like to retire.
“I have been preparing the new phase for the party’s deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili who has heavy burden on the shoulders but he is capable of handling them,” he told reporters after officiating the congress at Hongkod Koisaan here yesterday.
Pairin had also confirmed he had started handed over party affairs to Maximus who is also the Energy, Green Technology and Water minister and Kota Marudu MP.
“This is the phasing out period, whereby, I will put more focus on his duty as Deputy Chief Minister and Infrastructure development minister.
“Ninety nine per cent, I will not contest in the general election as I have something else to do,” he added.
Earlier, he had also mentioned the party’s stance to push for withdrawal and reissuance of identity cards to Malaysians in Sabah and to increase number of people of Sabah in civil services especially at federal level.
Meanwhile, Pairin who heads the technical committee following Royal Commission of Inquiry of illegal immigrations in Sabah, said the second version of the recommendations would be finalised soon and to be submitted to the main committee.
He said over two years of compiling suggestions on the management of illegal immigrants, some of them had been implemented such as the setting up of Eastern Sabah Security Command.
The party supreme council has also decided to spread out it branches to people of Sabah at west Malaysia starting January.
More than 700 delegates and observers attended the opening of the congress
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