The Presidents says......

Presidents of Barisan Nasional(BN) Sabah-based political parties attended the BN Supreme Council meeting in Kuala Lumpur today which was chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Abdullah, who is also BN national chief, said there was no problem in the allocation of seat to BN component parties to contest in the March 8 polls. Nomination is set for Feb 24.

However, back in Kota Kinabalu, the Presidents of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Datuk Yong Teck Lee, United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Organisation (UPKO) Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) Tan Sri Joseph Kurup says something else.

Pairin said PBS was yet to finalise its list of candidates although he had them all arranged `in his head'. Pairin also said that they might be several new faces replacing incumbents.

Yong said he was looking at the direction of Kota Kinabalu parliamentry seat to contest in the election. He said his name was among the list of candidates proposed by SAPP and submitted to Abdullah.

Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai, PBS Deputy President, is the Kota Kinabalu incumbent MP. If it is given to Yong to contest, PBS will lose one seat if the 2004 seat allocation is to be used as the yardstick to determine candidates this time around.

Dompok on the other hand said UPKO might field new faces in the polls and that he was still not sure if he is to defend his Ranau seat. He had not discount the possibility of `movement' of incumbents to contest in the polls.

Kurup said he had submitted an appeal for more seats for PBRS to contest and will leave it to Abdullah to make a decision.

Sabah Umno chief and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who yesterday said the 2004 formula would be maintained, said allocation of seats among the BN component parties in Sabah `is still being considered.'

All these leaders returned to Kota Kinabalu today.

Kadazandusun leaders Pairin, Dompok and Kurup were in the same flight,which prompted a journalist to ask what they discussed on board during the about three hours flight from Kuala Lumpur.

Pairin said they did not talk about the election.

Points to ponder run-up to the election: Dompok and Kurup together with Pairin formed PBS in 1985 but ditched him to form their respective parties.

My Say:

This is just the beginning, as the days go by, be assured of the unexpected in Sabahh politics. Let the game start from here.