Upko vice-president Ewon Benedick, who is also Kadamaian assemblyman, said he would rather be an effective opposition member than a “buffalo pulled by the nose”.
Without mentioning names, Benedick said the Sabah MP-cum-assemblyman, who is also a former minister, had stated that there was no point being in the opposition bloc as he could not bring progress to his area.
“I cannot agree with his statement,” he said in his speech during Upko’s extraordinary general meeting in Penampang near here today.
“Matters of development are the responsibility of the government.
“The responsibility of an elected representative is to ensure the development is managed efficiently and can be felt by the people, including in constituencies represented by the opposition.
“There is no point becoming a supporter of the government bloc but, in the end, becoming ineffective and unable to voice the people’s aspirations.”
Mohamaddin, formerly with Warisan, said yesterday that he saw no point remaining in the opposition as he was unable to bring any kind of progress to the constituencies under his care.
The Lahad Datu MP and Segama assemblyman, who officially joined Bersatu yesterday, said he made the decision to be part of the ruling government as he felt indebted to the voters who expected development.
In his speech today, Benedick noted there were some MPs who had been ministers for almost 20 years but the constituencies they represented still remained among the poorest in Malaysia.
“It’s ironic and strange when people say there’s no point being an opposition representative but when they are given the chance to become a minister or part of the government, their performance is brought into question,” he said.
Meanwhile, Benedick also revealed that counterparts from the government had tried luring him into crossing over to their side previously.
“But Upko is my home and family. I must be with the party through thick and thin.
“We can’t be treating Upko as our home only when there are good times and leave when challenges come.”
He added success should not be measured on the number of victories attained but instead on how they continued to fight and rise after every fall.