Joniston…Sabah should be governed by its own, with leadership grounded in local identity and accountability.
KOTA KINABALU : – Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said the statement by Sabah Umno Information Chief and Libaran MP Datuk Suhaimi Nasir does not warrant a prolonged response.
The GRS and PBS Information Chief said as a member of PBS and GRS, “I remain clear on the principles we stand for that Sabah should be led by political parties that are not only based in the state, but whose direction and decisions are shaped entirely by Sabah’s realities and priorities, not by external influence.”
Joniston stressed that PBS has always remained consistent in this belief.
The political journey of PBS has always been guided by a clear principle, that Sabah should be governed by its own, with leadership grounded in local identity and accountability, and with the rights and dignity of its people protected at all times.
“While PBS does not claim a flawless history, we have never strayed from our founding mission.”
“From the beginning, we have consistently championed state autonomy, fair treatment within the Federation, and the protection of Sabah’s voice and future,” he added.
He also pointed out that there are those who revisit our past for political convenience.
In doing so, they often overlook the intent behind our decisions.
More importantly, they ignore that what PBS stood for in the past is now being widely echoed and adopted as political messaging by others.
“We were once criticised for speaking out on Sabah’s rights and for calling for stronger local leadership.”
He said at the time, those positions were labelled as out of step. Today, the same ideas are being championed by those who once rejected them.
Joniston added that PBS political journey is well documented. It has gone through alliances, re-alignments, and hard lessons.
But through all that, PBS has remained consistent in its cause.
The decision to part ways with BN was taken after careful reflection on whether that alliance continued to align with the aspirations of Sabah.
For PBS, our political decisions are always based on that core question, is this good for Sabah?
“Our decision to be part of GRS was made with a clear sense of purpose.”
” We are working alongside local parties that understand Sabah’s priorities and are committed to meaningful development,” he said.
GRS reflects the same values PBS has long upheld and we are confident in this cooperation.
“I am of the view that PBS has consistently prioritised decisions that reflect the long-term interests of Sabah, even when such choices required difficult political shifts.”
Joniston said Suhaimi can label him. as “kebudak-budakan” but I want to tell him and Umno that to us in PBS, the party’s relevance is not shaped by past affiliations.
It is defined by how we serve, how consistently we defend Sabah’s rights, and how committed we remain to building a stronger future for our state.
Together with GRS, PBS look forward to a much brighter future for Sabah.
With GRS at the helm of the State government, we can already see the lights at the end of the tunnel.
The State government’s engagement with the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led federal government has borne some very positive outcomes.
Among the main examples are the massive increase in federal special annual grant from just over RM50 million to RM600 million as the GRS-PH plus State government continues to pursue the return of 40 per cent annual revenue derived from Sabah to the State.
Another significant achievement is the signing of a Commercial Collaborative Agreement (CCA) between the State government and Petronas that paves the way for local companies to play a major role in the oil and gas industry in Sabah hence in the increase in State revenue to RM6.9 billion last year.
