KOTA KINABALU: Barisan Nasional's interior-based Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) seems to be strengthening its position with two former senior Kadazandusun leaders joining the party on Saturday (Jan 8).

       Former Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) deputy president Datuk Wilfred Bumburing and former federal minister Datuk Ewon Ebin joined PBRS a month after they left PCS, which is led by former foreign minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.

       Both Bumbiring and Ebin, two veteran Sabah leaders whose political fortunes have been on the wane over the last decade, handed over their application to become members of PBRS led by Tan Sri Joseph Kurup.

       The move to strengthen PBRS comes amid plans by former Parti Warisan Sabah vice-president Datuk Peter Anthony, an interior Sabah leader, to form a new Kadazandusun based multi-racial party to "unite" the community.

       Wilfred said he, Ewon and other former PCS top leaders, chose PBRS because they were confident in PBRS' consistent struggle for the community.

       "When Barisan lost in the 14th General Election (GE14), PBRS did not leave Barisan by staying with the coalition and showed a strong spirit of solidarity," he said, adding that Kurup and PBRS had shown the spirit to fight for the people of Sabah.

       Bumburing said that he would be able to woo some 10,000 members of PCS as well as Upko from across the state to join PBRS.

       "Their participation is expected to help strengthen PBRS and make it a bigger and respectable component of Barisan," he added.

       Kurup, meanwhile, said that the former PCS leaders' participation would further strengthen PBRS, which currently holds the Pensiangan parliamentary seat.

       "Peter's plan to unite the Kadazandusun and Murut communities under one new party will not affect or threaten the communities’ support for PBRS.

       "It will not affect our efforts to unite the people, I am very confident but, we will wait and see," Kurup told reporters after the ceremony here.

       On the possibility that Barisan in Sabah may not cooperate with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia during GE15, Kurup said that the matter would be discussed at the Barisan leadership level.

       In Sabah, Barisan and Perikatan Nasional are working together under the 10-party Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition led by state Bersatu chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

       "It is still too early to comment on this matter. Whatever the decision, we have to discuss as a component of Barisan," said Kurup, whose PBRS have thus far remained an interior Sabah party.

       Bumburing and Ebin are Kadazandusun leaders from the state's west coast and Ranau areas.