KUCHING: Former Kedup assemblyman Datuk Frederick Bayoi Manggie, who once declared an interest in the new seat Bukit Semuja, has quit Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) effective yesterday (Jan 14).
Bayoi, who was a member of PBB for 33 years, said he submitted his resignation letter which was addressed to the party president and secretary-general at the PBB headquarters here yesterday morning.
When pressed for answers, Bayoi said he was prompted to resign from the party because he was hurt by recent political developments.
Bayoi, who was Tarat assemblyman for two terms before moving to Kedup where he served for another three terms, said he had been working hard to strengthen PBB especially in Bukit Semuja which was carved out of Tebedu and Kedup.
Under the PBB Triboh Project (later renamed PBB Bukit Semuja project) which he claimed was about getting PBB to be allocated the seat, Bayoi said he had spent so much of his money to go around and meet the people for this purpose, during which his group visited and held dialogues in eight major villages in Bukit Semuja.
“I have served as PBB assemblyman for 25 years, starting from Tarat where I served for two terms from 1987 to 1996, and then a move to Kedup in 1996 where I served for three terms until 2011. Though retired from politics, I have been working hard to strengthen PBB especially in the newly created seat of Bukit Semuja.
“But things seem to change lately which hurt my feelings, thus prompting me to leave PBB,” he said in a telephone interview yesterday.
Bayoi did not elaborate on what had hurt his feelings, but it is believed to be due to talks that his name had been struck out from the list of potential candidates.
Asked for his immediate plans, the 73-year-old said he would reveal and discuss this with the people especially his supporters when the right time came particularly for the coming state election.
Questioned if he still supports Barisan Nasional, he said “It is up to me. From tomorrow (today) onwards I will be a free man. I can be anywhere, everywhere and where I am wanted.”
“I am free from any political party including PBB, but I still have my supporters around me so I will discuss any changes with them,” he added.
Bukit Semuja (formerly Triboh) has attracted a lot of suitors wishing to stand as candidate especially under the Barisan Nasional banner.
This Bidayuh-majority seat comprises polling districts of Triboh, Selabi, Serian Bazaar, Kakai, Serian Hulu and
Sedihan, with total voters of 13,103 as of last March.
On January 1 (New Year’s Day) this year, Bayoi held a gathering at his house in Serian where his supporters gathered to rally behind his bid to stand as BN candidate in Bukit Semuja.
However, this move was said to have not gone well with some PBB leaders who felt that Bayoi should give way to younger people to be the candidate.
Bayoi was in the civil service for 16 years before he was asked by PBB leadership then to stand in Tarat in 1987. He then moved to Kedup, one of the six new seats contested in 1996, until he stepped down in 2011 to make way for new face Martin Ben.
He also used to serve as the third Walikota of Samarahan for 18 years.-Borneo Post
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