By Datuk Teddy Chin
BY the time this article is published, Sabahans will already know the results of Nominations for the State Election 2025.
As I do not have the data yet, I won’t go into the details. I will just give a general view or rather my preview.
Details will come next week once I have the results.
Stay tuned next week for my constituency-by-constituency analysis, based on my half-a-century experience as a political observer.
However, based on my experience as a reporter before, no matter how I write there will be people who say that I am biased.
Those that I speak in favour of will, of course, be happy while others not so happy.
I would like to quote a former Deputy Chief Minister who said and I quote:” I wasn’t born to please anybody”.
Most if not all political parties and Independents group included, will have made known the number of seats they will contest and even their candidates by the time this article is published.
Nomination Day is Saturday so I expect newspapers on Sunday to be sold out by mid-morning.
Of course there might be last minute changes or inclusions.
The main players are the ruling GRS coalition, PH (PKR & DAP), BN (Umno, MCA & PBRS), Warisan, GBS (Star & SAPP), Upko, PKDM, and the Black Wave (Gelombang Hitam) Independent Movement.
Then you have newcomers like PIS, Parti Kenyalang, Anak Negeri, Parti Kebangsaan, Parti What Have You, and so on.
The only party that had not made known their candidates until the last minute was Upko.
The main reason, I think, is time factor as they had just pulled out from Pakatan Harapan (PH) led by PM Anwar merely days before Nomination.
Just like PBS pulled out from BN days before polling in 1990.
The other possible reason might be because Star had indicated that they might want to work with Upko so there may be last minute negotiations.
But to me it is irrelevant because both parties are KDM-based so they probably are the same areas.
It is not easy to give in and their respective supporters will always make noise, saying why should we give in because we are the elder brother and so on and so forth.
As PBS acting president Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam said recently, in anything there must be give and take.
It is not easy to be a leader as there will always be those who think they are smarter and those who pressure you just because they think you are in a vulnerable position.
The last possible reason is, to borrow Datuk Shafie Apdal’s words: “Nanti kena beli”.
Had Upko remained in PH, they were given only 4 seats to contest under PH’s agreement with GRS.
Compare 4 with 20. You do the math.
In 2020 State election, Upko under Warisan+ was given more than a dozen seats to contest and won only one, Ewon himself in Kadamaian. But politics doesn’t work that way.
You certainly can’t say that now we only have to give Upko 1 or 2.
I mean, when Upko won only 1 seat in 2020, everybody said that’s the end of the party and “Died but not buried”.
Who would have thought that in the 2022 parliamentary election Upko won not 1 but 2 seats?
Who would have thought that DSP Wilfred Madius Tangau who was defeated by Joniston of PBS in Kiulu in 2020 had sweet revenge in 2022 when he defeated Joniston?
That was despite Joniston being an Assistant Minister and Kiulu Assemblyman and Chairman of the Sabah Tourism Board and Tangau holding no official position except being the incumbent Tuaran MP and Upko being the Opposition in Sabah.
So in 2022 Upko “rose from the dead”, with due respect.
The Chinese say “Ikan Masin Hidup Balik” (Salt Fish Become Alive Again). No offence meant.
By now it is an open secret that Ewon will defend his Kadamaian seat, Madius Tangau in Tamparuli, Donald Mojuntin in Moyog and so on.
All the big guns in Upko lah.
We don’t know where else at the time of my writing but Sabah politics has shown that with just a few seats won you can be the kingmaker.
Upko did that in 2018 and what is there to stop them doing it again?
I once served a historian who was fond of saying: “History always repeat itself”.
The ruling GRS has announced that it would contest 55 seats. Together with PH they would give them 73.
Out of PH’s 23 seats (originally) PKR is taking 10, DAP 7 or 8, and Amanah 1.
Upko was supposed to get 4 before they pulled out from PH.
Upko’s 4 PH seats have now become a tussle between GRS and PH.
Hajiji being the coalition chairman and CM is taking control of the 4.
Sabah PKR chairman Mustapha said should discuss first.
Now PKR is fielding its candidate in Bandau as a revenge and may be more.
The PKR candidate in Bandau is a popular young leader who defeated incumbent and former Sabah PKR secretary in the party election earlier this year.
The former leader secured only a 3rd place in the divisional contest.
The former divisional chairman also lost twice in state election.
Of the 55 GRS candidates, Chairman and Caretaker CM Hajiji is defending his Sulaman seat which he won since 1990.
Of the 3 DCMs in his Cabinet, 1 is not contesting, 1 is defending his seat in Kundasang and 1 is now out of GRS but is defending his seat in Tambunan.
The DCM who is not contesting is Shahelmey Yahya who is also Putatan MP.
His membership in Umno has been suspended and he has been warned that should he defend his state seat on a GRS ticket he may face court battle to repay $100 million to Umno.
So he is not contesting. The Engineer is still an MP anyway.
The solution? His brother is defending the Tanjong Keramat seat for him!
The only thing I don’t know much about the brother’s background at this stage.
They are sons of former Putatan District Chief OKK Yahya Ahmad Shah.
Rural Development Minister Datuk Jahid Jahim is not defending his Tamparuli seat which he won on a PBS ticket since 2018.
His health is an open secret and he personally told this writer that he wanted a rest.
Actually Jahid was already Tamparuli Assemblyman even before 2018 but he lost to Bumburing in 2013.
Before that he was an Assistant Minister under the BN government.
Tamparuli is PBS’ quota. So the seat naturally goes back to PBS. But I will touch on the replacement candidate next week.
Another Minister who is not contesting is Tourism Minister DSP Christina Liew.
She lost her PKR divisional chairmanship to her former aide earlier this year.
However, the aide, also a Chinese woman, was not fielded as a replacement as a candidate.
Instead, Thonny Chee, CEO of a subsidiary or GLC under the Tourism Ministry was fielded.
Just like Christina, Chee is a lawyer. He was PKR’s candidate for the Kudat parliamentary constituency in 2022.
Whether or not Thonny, a Sino-Rungus, has Christina’s blessings I don’t know.
Christina has been keeping quiet.
Assistant Minister Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady is also not defending his Tanjung Batu seat.
Just like Shahelmey, he is both an Assemblyman and MP (Kalabakan).
Just like Shahelmey, he won his seat in 2020 on an Umno ticket and has since been suspended by Umno for supporting Hajiji in the failed 2023 coup. Just like Shahelmey, he is facing a threat by Umno to repay $100 million should he stand as a GRS candidate.
Just like Shahelmey, he is still a MP anyway who gets paid even more than an Assemblyman.
The solution? His cousin Dr Andi Md Shamsureezal stands in for him.
Shamsureezal is a senior doctor whose last post was the Director of the Lahad Datu Hospital.
Both Andi Suryady and Dr Andi Shamsureezal are Muslims of Bugis descent.
There are a lot of Bugis in Tawau and form a large number of voters.
Suryady is the son of an influential Bugis community leader in Tawau since Umno or Berjaya time, Andi Bandy.
You offend the Bugis you don’t hope to win in Tanjong Batu or Kalabakan.
Apart from Dr Joachim in Kundasang, another GRS Minister who is defending his seat in Ranau district is Masidi Manjun. The Finance Minister is a lawyer and immensely popular in Ranau, particularly his Karanaan seat.
He has been Karanaan Assemblyman since BN/Umno time in the 2000s.
Assistant Minister Datuk Abidin Madingkir is defending his seat in Paginatan also in Ranau.
He is also a lawyer and retired from the civil service as Mayor of KK.
He won the Paginatan seat on a Star ticket in 2020 and did not follow Dr Jeffrey in quitting GRS.
He is now defending his seat as a GRS direct member. Just like Masidi and Joachim, the popular Abidin should have no problem in defending his seat.
Abidin, despite his name, is not a Muslim. He is a Christian, SIB Church I think.
This is common in Sabah. Until today, Abidin still receives Hari Raya cards from unsuspecting Malaysians.
Another former Star Assistant Minister, Datuk Robert Tawik, is not defending his seat.
He is replaced as candidate in Bingkor but his son, Rafie Robert. Rafie has been active in politics as a youth leader since when Hajiji was still leading Bersatu in Sabah.
He later followed Hajiji into PGRS.
Rafie, a Keningau District Councillor with tourism background is popular among the youth not just in Keningau but also at the State-level party.
Even while his father was still in Star, he was already active in Bersatu and later PGRS.
There has been rumours that his brother may stand against him on a Star ticket.
Will that happen? We will know by the time this article is published.
In Sebatik, incumbent Assembylman Datuk Hassan A Gani gets to defend his seat.
He won it in 2020 on a Warisan ticket and later joined GRS, the first Warisan Assemblyman to do so, in 2021 I think.
In Balung, Syed Ahmad replaces a former Warisan Assemblyman who won in 2020.
Syed Ahmad is a son of former State Assembly Speaker Syed Abas who himself is a former Balung Assemblyman.
When Syed Abas campaigned in Balung during Berjaya time in the late 70s or early 80s, he even spoke Hakka as the village had many Chinese voters.
He learned to speak Chinese as he grew up in a shop where his father had a business. This is Sabah.
In Apas, Datuk Nizam Titingan is defending his seat on a GRS ticket.
There should not be a problem as the Titingan family is well-established politically in Tawau since Usno time in the 60s.
His late father Abdu Bakar Titingan was Assemblyman during Usno time (later Berjaya) and Titingan is a household name in Tawau.
There is even a road and building named after Titingan, I think.
Nizam’s elder brother, Datuk Ahmad Baharom was an Assistant Minister, later Minister and even Deputy Chief Minister between Berjaya and PBS time.
Another brother Datuk Tawfiq was Youth & Sports Minister during BN/Umno time.
It’s in the blood. You can’t separate the Titingans from politics. Nizam was Tun Musa Aman’s PR secretary when the latter was CM.
In Sugut, Minister Datuk James Ratib is defending his seat. He is also the Exco for Health.
Despite his name, James is a Muslim. Another case which makes Sabah special.
Ratib should have no problem in defending his seat as he has been visiting his constituency often.
In Sook, Youth & Sports Minister is defending his seat. He is one of the five Assemblyman who did not follow Dr Jeffery in quitting GRS.
He is believed to be the first ex-sportsman/athlete to be Sports Minister.
In Membakut, Science & Technology Minister Datuk Mohd Arifin Arif is defending his seat which he won long time ago even during BN/Umno time.
He is also Exco for Education and minister-in-charge of Religious Affairs (Islam).
If I am not mistaken, he studied Islam in Cairo.
In Bongawan, PCS chairman Tan Sri Anifah Aman is hoping to make a comeback in active politics by contesting the seat.
The veteran politician was the first Sabahan to become Malaysia’s Foreign Minister for close to 10 years.
It was during Anifah’s tenure as Foreign Minister that Tan Sri Bernard Dompok became Malaysia’s First Resident Ambassador to the Holy See in Vatican in Rome.
Although the final decision rested with the then PM Najib, I believe Anifah played a part as there was no reason why he wouldn’t want a fellow Sabahan to be the Ambassador.
After all, Dompok is a Roman Catholic.
In Darau, lawyer and PGRS secretary Datuk Razali Razi is the GRS candidate.
He has been doing his groundwork for the past few years and should have no problem in winning.
Anyway, may the best man win.
In Pitas, Datuk Seri Dr Ruddy Awah is defending his seat which he won as an Independent in 2020.
Ruddy is popular in Pitas. The fact that he won as an Independent proves my point.
A former businessman/contractor, he has over the years helped countless people in Pitas even before he entered politics.
Ruddy first made a name for himself years ago when he started the annual Chinese New Year (CNY) carnival in his house compound which is large.
No big deal, you say? His CNY ‘do’ even won a Malysia Book of Records (MBR) for having the longest period of CNY carnival at a single place and a long period of time.
It was more than an ordinary CNY ‘do’. It had a carnival atmosphere.
Even relevant government departments set up stalls to help the village folks apart from food and drinks stalls.
And to think that he has very little Chinese blood (only one quarter I think) and hardly speak a word of Chinese.
Due to space constraint, I have to stop here. The others (including parties) that I didn’t mention, it’s not that I don’t want to mention.
After Nomination Day, I will do my constituency-by-constituency analysis.
Plenty of chance to write. So don’t worry. Stay tuned.
The views expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the talantang.com
