KOTA KINABALU: Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan Rakyat) has decided to restructure the party by adopting Parliamentary constituencies instead of State Legislative Assembly (DUN) constituencies as its divisions.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor said the change, made through amendments to the party constitution, would see Gagasan Rakyat having 26 new divisions compared to the previous 74 divisions, including Labuan.
Hajiji, who is also Gagasan Rakyat President, said the restructuring was important in efforts to strengthen the party in all divisions, while ensuring smaller divisions could be consolidated into larger and stronger entities, besides ensuring the continued stability of the State Government.
“As Party President, I am confident this decision is right, necessary and responsible because if we want Gagasan Rakyat to continue leading, our party cannot merely appear big in name or through the number of divisions alone. We must ensure our party is well organised, always moves as one team and has a clear direction in its struggle.
“Previously, we had 74 divisions based on DUN constituencies, including Labuan. On paper, it looked big, impressive and complete, but in reality, not all divisions moved at the same level.
“There are divisions with very active operations, vibrant branches and large memberships, but there are also divisions with small branches, thin membership and machinery that has yet to reach the required level of strength.
“If the structure is too large but its strength is unbalanced, then party resources will be spread too thinly,” he said in his keynote address at the Special Gagasan Rakyat General Assembly at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here on Sunday.
Hajiji said the special conference marked an important point in the journey of the party that he leads to implement a major decision made by the party’s Supreme Council for the future of Gagasan Rakyat.
He said the decision was made after careful consideration of the current political realities, the organisational strength of Gagasan Rakyat, the readiness of its machinery and its responsibility as the party leading the State Government.
“The Supreme Council viewed this matter honestly and maturely. If the old structure no longer provides optimum strength, then the structure must be reorganised.
“To be frank, a party cannot be led solely by emotions and feelings because ultimately, our party does not merely want to exist. Our party must be strong enough to endure, organised enough to move forward.
“Confident enough to lead and united enough to continue winning the people’s trust. That is why this amendment was decided upon, not to deny anyone’s contributions or sideline anyone’s sacrifices, but to strengthen Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah,” he said.
Hajiji acknowledged that restructuring the party from 74 divisions to only 26 Parliamentary divisions, including Labuan, would certainly involve changes in positions, methods and the party’s operational arrangements.
“That is the reality in any restructuring process, but I want to stress clearly that what changes is only the party structure, not the party’s values or its trust in its members.
“The contributions and sacrifices of party members are never erased simply because the party structure is renewed, because the true value of struggle does not lie in titles or positions, but in loyalty and service to the party and the people,” he said.
Hajiji also acknowledged that Gagasan Rakyat stands today because of its grassroots leaders who travelled from village to village, house to house and event to event using their own time, energy and even their own money.
“I see all that, I know the value of those sacrifices and I appreciate them all. That is why this restructuring is not meant to erase anyone’s role, but rather to ensure all that strength can be better organised.
“If previously you led at the DUN level, after this your role will remain important in the Parliamentary machinery, branches, communities, election operations and the party’s grassroots structure. Positions may change, structures may change and arrangements may change, but the struggle for Sabah must never change,” he said.-pr/BNN
