TAMPARULI: United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Party (Upko) needs a young face to stay relevant, said its president Tan Sri Bernard Giluk Dompok.
He believed that Upko needed to be ready to address the existing challenges and start to update the party machinery to face the next 14th General Election.
“I am supporting the move of our younger leaders who show their interest to lead the party’s divisions. Those who are young and feel young at heart should be trained as leaders.
“We need to continue this effort to ensure Upko is still relevant. We want to be more vocal and continue our role as the party in the Barisan Nasional which is very vocal in fighting the rights of Sabahans,” he said when launching Tuaran tri-annual general meeting (TGM) at Dewan Tun Hamdan, yesterday.
He said the government had committed positively towards setting up the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah which had been proposed by Upko and supported by the other political parties in Sabah.
Dompok who is one of the Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders, who have been very vocal on the issue, said Sabahans were hoping the ongoing RCI would help the relevant bodies to find the best solution to solve the problem of illegal immigrants in the state.
Speaking to thousands of party members during the launching yesterday, Dompok said Upko had played important roles in various issues not only in Sabah but also at the national level.
He said Upko needed to be transformed, especially with the changes of political landscape in Malaysia, where the opposition are starting to gain more support from the people.
“We cannot deny that the opposition are capable of forming the government. We need to accept the fact that after 50 years of the formation of Malaysia, the political landscape has changed.
“That is why we need to start our strategy, and ensure the party election like today will be smooth in a friendly spirit,” he added.
Also present at the event yesterday were Tuaran Upko divisional chief Datuk Madius Tangau, Upko vice presidents Datuk Siringan Gubat and Datuk Wences Angang, Upko treasurer-general Datuk Marcus Mojigoh and Datuk Donald Mojuntin.