He told FMT that the party had yet to discuss the resignations of its youth chief Arthur Sen and Supreme Council member Suip Saniman.
“As of now, the Upko youth wing will be helmed by the deputy chief Kennedy John as decided in their youth meeting yesterday and efforts will be made to communicate with Suip Saniman before our upcoming Supreme Council meeting,” he said.
Commenting on the resignations of grassroots members in nine Upko branches in the Putatan division, Mojuntin said the Upko headquarters had not received any official notification.
He said there were no other resignations apart from these.
“In fact, there has been an increase in the number of applications for Upko membership in the last couple of months, from members of other political parties which are in the opposition now and also from the public.
“So, to say that Upko is cracking because of these resignations is not accurate. The party is still solid and steadfast. Our branches are actively having their respective triennial general meetings to be followed by divisions and culminating in the Upko congress to be held on Oct 12 and 13.
“To put it simply, Upko is alive and kicking. The challenge that it is facing now is a normal part of politics. We will deal with it and move forward,” he said.
Commenting on Sen’s resignation, Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal was reported as saying that he did not expect it but was given the assurance by Upko acting president Wilfred Madius Tangau that Sen’s resignation would not hamper the party’s progress.
Shafie said he had told Tangau, who is also deputy chief minister, that he was there to provide support.
Meanwhile, Mojuntin also denied rumours that the party’s account has been frozen because it failed to hold its party elections in April.
The postponement and the necessary amendment to the party’s constitution, he said, had been approved by party delegates unanimously in the extraordinary general meeting held in May this year.
“Everything was done in a proper manner according to Upko’s constitution,” he said.
The Borneo Post quoted Upko treasurer-general Marcus Mojigoh as saying the recent resignations were worrying and that he had information more were considering quitting as well.
Mojigoh claimed the resignations, including that of Supreme Council member Suip Saniman and of members from his own Putatan division, were just the tip of the iceberg.
Political analyst Lee Kuok Tiung warned that the party was set to lose more members as many were struggling to come to terms with the party’s decision to abandon Barisan Nasional and join the ruling coalition.