Speaking to FMT today, Ahuar said the Muruts are represented only by opposition leaders after he failed to be elected MP for Pensiangan on a Parti Warisan Sabah ticket.
Ahuar was defeated by Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah deputy president Arthur Kurup, the son of PBRS president Joseph Kurup.
The other elected Murut leaders are BN’s Bobbey Suan (Nabawan) and Ellron Angin (Sook).
Bobbey was named special tasks minister by Sabah BN chairman Musa Aman whose government was deposed by another formed by Warisan president Shafie Apdal who claimed a majority in the state assembly through an alliance with BN defectors and Pakatan Harapan.
Musa is challenging Shafie’s legitimacy in court.
Bobbey’s party, the United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko), has joined the Warisan-PH alliance but he did not follow and is still considered a BN assemblyman.
Ellron’s party, PBRS, also broke away from the BN but has not announced whether it will ally itself with Warisan-PH.
Ahuar feared that his community might be neglected because no one could speak up for them and bring their problems to the state government.
“We are so excited about the changes and the new government, without realising the Muruts have lost representation in the state government. I cannot blame Shafie because he does not have a Murut assemblyman to pick as a minister,” he said.
Asked whether Shafie should consider naming him as one of six nominated assemblymen allowed by the state constitution, Ahuar said he would leave it to the chief minister.
He said Shafie must come up with a solution if Murut assemblymen in BN refused to side with Warisan-PH.
Ahuar blamed the community itself for their lack of representation. “We told them to vote for PH because we would become the government and could represent them better but they still voted in the same people who played them out for so long.”
He said Muruts lagged behind other ethnic groups despite being the fourth largest ethnic group.
The Muruts, about 120,000 in number, live mainly in southwest Sabah, and maintain familial relationships with the Dayak in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/07/26/sabah-muruts-now-have-one-house/