KOTA BELUD, June 19 — United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) President Datuk Ewon Benedick said the party must continue to play a role in strengthening unity and cooperation among Sabah-based political parties, in line with the spirit of “Sabah First”, which remains one of its core struggles.

“Let us take the lead, and Kadamaian should contribute towards fostering unity and cooperation among Sabah’s local parties.

“I want to see the entire Upko machinery in Kota Belud, especially in Kadamaian, including all branches and members, contributing to the unity of Sabah’s local parties.

This is what we mean by Sabah First,” he said.

Ewon, who is also Deputy Chief Minister III, was speaking at Upko Kota Belud Division Triennial General Meeting at Kadamaian Square, here.

He said local parties should avoid attacking one another and instead work for the benefit of the people and the future of Sabah.

“Let us not attack other Sabah-based parties. Instead, we should cooperate.

“Hopefully, when that happens, it will be easier to develop Kadamaian, defend Kota Belud and safeguard Sabah,” he said.

According to Ewon, past experiences have shown that challenges remain in building political consensus in Sabah, particularly on matters involving the state’s interests at the national level.

“We must learn from what happened before. Just because we were part of a national coalition, there were parties in Kuala Lumpur that did not support Sabah-related matters.

“This can happen if we do not strengthen the alliance among Sabah’s local parties,” he said.

In this regard, he explained that Upko’s decision to apply to join the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) was driven by its aspiration to strengthen the coalition of local parties in the state.

“On May 29, we officially submitted our application to the Chief Minister, in his capacity as GRS Chairman, for Upko to become a component party.

“Our intention is to make GRS strong, similar to the Sabah Alliance that existed in 1963,” he said.

He added that many leaders within GRS have previously been part of national parties and understand the challenges Sabah faces in defending its rights and interests.

“We must contribute to strengthening local parties under the leadership of the Chief Minister. That is why we applied to join GRS,” he said.

However, Ewon stressed that Upko’s participation in GRS would not diminish the party’s role in championing issues affecting the people and the state.

“Our participation in GRS will not reduce our willingness to speak up on the issues we have long championed.

“Neither will it diminish our role as a political party in this country, particularly in Sabah,” he said.

He said Upko’s main focus is to see Sabah governed by local parties capable of standing on equal footing with other states in the Federation of Malaysia.

“Our primary focus is ensuring that Sabah is led by Sabah-based parties in the future.

“This is important so that we can stand as strong as Sarawak and be equally firm in dealing with our counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.

Ewon also expressed confidence that Upko’s entry into GRS would help strengthen the state government and better prepare the coalition for the coming election.

“Is it not our aspiration to see a coalition of Sabah local parties contest in every constituency during the election?

“This is our focus – strengthening the alliance of Sabah local parties, beginning with our participation in GRS,” he said. — Daily Express