KOTA KINABALU: “We will also retire in the near future, so it isn’t something out of the ordinary,” said PBS president, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan yesterday.
He was commenting on the announcement of retirement made by UPKO’s president, Tan Sri Bernard Giluk Dompok, which is due to take place on March 21.
He said earlier that retirement was in the thoughts of all leaders and hence it was not surprising when a leader announces it.
On Dompok’s decision, Pairin said: “I am sure the decision was made after he (Dompok) considered the present situation…we respect his decision.”
Aside from that, Pairin stressed that the relationship between PBS and UPKO had always been cordial.
“We are friends with all political parties in BN (Barisan Nasional). How we approach things — you do have the initial idea how to approach things and you do have discussions with the component parties…sometimes we come up with satisfaction and sometimes with some incomplete picture, but otherwise, when we come to the final decision, we all respect the final decision,” he said.
He added that there was a lot of common ground that the political parties shared and that all the political parties will continue to search for the right environment for the benefit of the people.