KOTA KINABALU: Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) vice president, Datuk Ewon Ebin called it quits today, citing the lack of leadership and direction within the party as the reason for his resignation.

Ewon in a statement today claimed that several party leaders and supreme council members were also quitting as they had been under pressure from party members and grassroots supporters as to the direction of the party.

He said that after the last state election, there had been no communication and party meetings among the current supreme council members, divisional committees, and youth and women's wings of the party.

"The party divisions were supposed to be reorganised from the state constituency level to the parliamentary level as decided upon and approved at the Biennial General Meeting last year, but it was not implemented, rendering the party having no divisions and direction.

"The decision to resign was done with a heavy heart as we all love PCS, but we have to move on. On the future plans, we will cross the bridge when the time comes. For now, it is suffice to say that our fight does not end here," he added in the statement.

In the 16th Sabah State Election last year, PCS contested in all 73 state seats but it failed to win any seat.

Meanwhile in a separate statement, PCS president Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said the action of quitting the party by a number of its top leaders was normal in politics and might be due to their concern over not being selected to hold the posts after a reshuffle in the party soon.

He said that there had been pressure from the grassroots for a reshuffle to strengthen the party's direction in championing the Sabah people's narrative.

"We cannot prevent them from leaving the party as that is their right to follow their own direction in the political realm. However, I stress that PCS remains strong in fighting for Sabah's rights, especially as contained in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

"I am also taking this opportunity to thank those who leave the party and may they be successful although on a different platform later on and I hope their efforts in struggling for the rights of Sabahans will remain a priority," he added.

Anifah also refuted claims that PCS would die off in the local political arena following the (quit) issue but instead, the party was getting stronger and increasingly accepted by the people of Sabah.

-- BERNAMA