By Datuk Teddy Chin
SOON after BN’s defeat in 2018 and Tun Musa slowly bowing out from the political scene, he handed the Sabah Umno chairmanship to Hajiji, formerly the Treasurer.
But Hajiji did not stay long as Sabah Umno chief.
In December 2018 he announced that he and about a dozen Sabah Umno YBs were quitting to become Independent Assemblymen.
In January or February 2019 Bersatu led by then PM Tun Dr Mahathir accepted them into the party in KL.
In April 2019 Dr M together with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (then Home Minister) flew into KK to officially launch the Sabah branch of Bersatu.
It was held at the ITCC during which Dr M announced Hajiji as the head of the Sabah Bersatu.
Present Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin who among those Umno MPs who just joined Bersatu was also present.
In other words, Hajiji and Co were now part of the PM’s team at the national level.
By right, nobody could bully them now, politically and logically speaking.
But at the State level, they were obviously unwelcome by then ruling Warisan who viewed them with suspicion and probably jealousy now that Hajiji was now part of the PM’s team.
When news of Dr M’s Bersatu entry into Sabah was first announced, understandably Warisan objected, albeit in a diplomatic way.
After all, we are talking about the PM’s party here.
When Dr M announced this at a news conference, a pro-Warisan reporter reminded him that Sabah CM Shafie said there was no necessity for Bersatu to enter Sabah as Warisan could take care of things.
Mahathir’s reply was something like:
“Well, that is what he said. I don’t have to ask him if we can enter Sabah or not. What others say don’t matter, be it Shafie Abdullah or…” Dr M cheekily replied. Shafie Abdullah was a senior lawyer who was defending Dr M’s political opponents in the 1MDB case.
During Hari Raya in 2020 I think, Hajiji invited Musa (then Tan Sri) to his house in Tuaran.
Even that was criticised by a Warisan leader who said that Hajiji should have been at the State Government’s Hari Raya “do” instead of entertaining Musa at his house.
That was how Hajiji and Co were bullied by Warisan despite they being part of PM’s team now.
As if having Musa at his house was a crime. As if Hajiji needed their permission before he could receive Musa at his house.
By this time the PM was Muhyiddin already.
But as fate would have it, a new State election was held in September 2020 and the Warisan+ government was ousted. “+” here included PKR, DAP and Upko.
DAP won half a dozen seats, PKR two and Upko one (out of one dozen they contested).
Some say that it was Upko “karma” for backstabbing BN in 2018.
I have no comment. Let’s look forward, not backward.
In politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies.
That is also Hajiji’s personality. Not revengeful. I mean, when he became the Usno candidate in Sulaman in 1990, the party division boycotted him, did not offer much help, and didn’t give a cent which they had received from the party headquarters meant for the candidate’s election expenses.
Luckily a former UKM Sabah senior lecturer helped him financially.
The lecturer eventually became the UMS Vice-Chancellor. Prof Dalimin I think. God is fair. UKMS is UMS’ predecessor.
Same thing in 1994, when Hajiji stood as Umno candidate in Sulaman, the division withheld the party’s allocation from him.
Luckily the then Menteri Besar of Selangor Mat Taib helped him.
In 1995, now being an Assistant Minister, Hajiji decided to go for the Umno Tuaran Division chairmanship and won.
The rest is history. He was Tuaran Umno Chairman until he left in 2018.
Despite the above, is Hajiji revengeful?
The answer is NO. Among those who boycotted him in the early days is now even the chairman of a State-owned major GLC. See?
Is he revengeful that Usno, PCS, LDP and PHRS and the original PGRS stood against GRS (Bersatu) in 2020. The answer is NO.
All these parties are now in his GRS coalition, including PGRS which he took over in 2023. This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is Hajiji.
This makes him special and popular among Sabahans. Just like Anwar, he can bring his political enemies together which not everybody can do.
Perhaps it was partly because of his unrevengeful style that even former nemesis PKR and DAP and Upko decided to side with him instead of Umno and Warisan in early 2023 during the failed coup that almost cost Hajiji his Chief Ministership.
It also may be due to this style of his that brought in Usno, PCS, LDP and PHRS that made certain people unhappy because they felt threatened.
So they tried to oust him but God decided to help Hajiji. Obviously having an extra friend is better than having an extra enemy but Hajiji’s political enemies failed to see this point and tried to unseat him.
As fate would have it too, today DAP and PKR are part of the GRS+ State Government.
Upko is also GRS-friendly although they have no State Minister or Assistant Minister as their sole Assemblyman (Ewon) is a Federal Minister. Let’s hope that after the coming State election Upko will have a Sabah Minister or at least Assistant Minister.
After the 2022 national election and Anwar became PM and Hajiji and Co threw their weight behind Anwar, they slowly left Muhyiddin’s PN (Perikatan Nasional) led by Muhydidin’s Bersatu.
They now have their own party PGRS which is the backbone of the State’s 8-party ruling coalition, GRS.
Until today, PN and Bersatu are blaming Hajiji and Co for leaving PN and supporting Anwar, short of calling them traitors.
Didn’t PN lure Hajiji and Co from Umno in the first place? You can do it, others cannot?
Well, isn’t this a democracy and isn’t Malaysia is free country and we are living in a free world.
Freedom of association, the Orang Putih say. If you disagree, you disassociate, the British say.
Those accusing Hajiji and Co of this and that now, where did they come from?
Didn’t they come from other parties as well including BN/Umno?
Don’t they have a history also. Everybody has a past, so look into the mirror before you criticise others.
Didn’t Muhyiddin and others conspired with Umno to topple a democratically elected government led by PKR and DAP?
Now Umno is part of the Unity Government of Anwar. Muhyiddin is tasting his own medicine.
How does it feel?
Besides, as Datuk Seri Panglima Christina Liew once said, “People also entitled to change mah!”
The Bible says Don’t simply judge or you will be judged yourself.
The announcement by Hajiji on August 21 was straight forward – the coming election will be his last. Fair enough, but a few days later while speaking to reporters he seemed to be hinting something more.
He seemed to be suggesting that even after winning Sulaman one more time, five years is a long time and “I am tired and getting old”.
What is he trying to say?
His second statement on retirement led to all sorts of speculations and guesses. You cannot avoid rumours and speculations.
They say that Music, Wine and Women make the World go round. I say that in the political sense, rumours and speculations make the world go round.
Can you imagine politics without speculations, boring also kan?
Was Hajiji hinting that after leading GRS to an election victory soon, he may not serve as CM for another five years. “Five years is a long time….” He said recently.
His statement led to speculations that he may be CM for another year or two and he will remain an ordinary Assemblyman until his term ends. Probably half a term lah.
Answering reporters’ question, he said that a transition plan is in store but of course he will not reveal his chosen successor now.
Let’s say that the above speculation is true – that he will be handing over to someone mid-term – then there will be more speculations as to who?
There are two possibilities. One of whom is supposedly from within his own PGRS and the other is from a GRS coalition party.
Just like Hajiji himself never dreamed of becoming Chief Minister but God wanted him to be one. As the Muslims always say “InsyaAllah” (God-willing).
Kak Wan (Anwar’s wife) once said “Manusia merancang, Tuhan turut merancang” (Man plans, God also plans).
Rumah kita, kita jaga. Kalau bukan kita siapa lagi?
The views expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the talantang.com