By: Datuk Teddy Chin
SO the election is over and after a few days of uncertainties, confusion, threats, horse trading, speculations and rumours, the dust is beginning to settle down.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Hj Noor was sworn-in in the wee hours on Nov 30, something unique in Sabah. If the TYT wishes to swear the new CM at 3am, who are we to complain.
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Nothing new to Sabah.
In 1985, the late Tun Mustapha was also sworn-in by then Governor Tun Adnan Robert in the wee hours. But that’s another story.
After Hajiji was sworn-in, as expected people who were opposed to GRS during the election started to give their support.
They included BN (6 YBs), Upko (3), Star (2), KDM (1) and 5 Independents.
However, Star pulled out their support after the State Cabinet was sworn-in the next day. Party president Dr Jeffrey said Star woul
d now remain in the Opposition since the new Cabinet is not purely local.
Some critics asked if it was because after Dr Jeffrey found out that his name was not included in the Cabinet list.
In Sabah politics it’s first come first served or first past the post.
Time is the essence and you have to make decisions fast. Time waits for no man.
To illustrate my point, in 2018 Tangau rushed to Shafie’s house even after Musa was sworn-in.
He tipped the scale overnight and Shafie was sworn-in the next day.
I mention this not to show whether what Tangau did was right or wrong. It was his right. This is democracy. Freedom of association.
Anyway, Upko made good when they rushed to support Hajiji when GRS+ only got 30 seats.
Although Upko’s 3 seats only gave GRS+ 33, it was still welcomed as it was expected that most if not all of the 5 Independents would also support.
That would give GRS+ a simple majority. In a way, Upko “corrected” its “wrong” of 2018.
Upko learned its lesson when, after the 2020 election, a senior Warisan leader said: “Now no more Warisan+, only Warisan-“.
In the meantime, there were rumours that some of the Independents started demanding.
One was said to demand a Minister’s post. One even a DCM post. This is only what I heard ah, I didn’t say it’s true.
Failing which you know what they would do lah. They are the Kingmakers. Yes, you maybe a Kingmaker but don’t demand.
Hajiji was not born yesterday. I am not necessarily talking about the Independents.
In the end four of the Independents were appointed Assistant Ministers. Why the fifth Independent Awang Ahmad Sah Awang Sahari was not appointed, you have to ask him or Hajiji.
There must be a reason, which includes he himself don’t want. Or he was promised the chairmanship of a statutory body of major GLC.
Before the Assembly dissolution, the re-elected Petagas Assemblyman was only chairman of a subsidiary of Qhazanah.
One of the Independents appointed an Assistant Minister is a woman. Datuk Rina Jainal was rightly put in the Women Ministry.
Her party (GRS-PHRS) suspended her membership just before Nomination which means that she could no longer stand on that party’s ticket.
She stood as an Independent and won. She had the last laugh.
Before dissolution she was also a Political Secretary to the Finance Minister
Another Independent, Fairuz Renddan, was also not fielded by his party GRS-PGRS.
This was despite him being an Assistant Minister and PGRS Youth Leader.
He had to make way for Usno President Tan Sri Pandikar Amin who challenged reporters to bet with him that he would win.
Fairuz accepted his reappointment as an Assistant Minister but in a different Ministry.
New Bandau Assemblyman Datuk Maijol Mahap was also sidelined for PGRS Women Leader despite him being a PGRS leader at the central level.
Maijol, a lawyer, had also been working hard and laying the ground work for the past few years as he was PGRS Bandau Divisional Head.
Satisfaction must be his as among those whom he defeated was the PGRS candidate Datuk Redona Bahanda who was chosen over him.
By the way, the just concluded election seems to mark the end of the Bahanda family’s dominance.
Redona’s brothers, Datuk Wetrom and Veldron, won as Independents in Kota Marudu and Kudat respectively in the 2022 MP election, making them Giant Killers.
Wetrom was also the Bandau Assemblyman which he won on a PN-Bersatu ticket in 2020 but he gave way to his sister Redona who is PGRS Wanita chief by moving to Matunggong next door.
Veldron stood in Tanjung Kapor, part of Kudat.
He also headed the Black Wave Independent Movement which won only one seat – Datuk Rusdin Riman who is former Finance Ministry permanent secretary in Paginatan, Ranau.
He defeated among others incumbent and former Assistant Minister, Datuk Abidin Madingkir.
The Petagas Assemblyman Datuk Awang Ahmad Sah defeated his younger brother Awang Husaini who represented PH-PKR.
GRS did not contest Petagas as it had a deal with PH.
In other words, the incumbent had to make way for his brother.
I don’t know the actual reason why he stood against his brother who is a former Putatan MP and a lawyer, but Awang Ahmad did prove a point that the older brother knows better.
The fifth Independent Jordan Jude must be the youngest at 28.
He is son of former Sook Assemblyman and former Youth & Sports Minister Datuk Ellron Angin.
The young man stood in Tulid as an Independent after his party Star dumped him as a candidate.
Anyway, he proved Star wrong and taught Star a lesson.
Jordan obtained 3,545 votes against Star’s 2,350 votes.
Although officially he is an Independent, because of his father he can be considered GRS lah bah.
Ellron failed to defend his Sook seat next to Tulid by the way. Tulid had the most number of candidates – 14.
The lone PH-GRS leader, Datuk Jawawi Jaafar, is rightly put in the Agriculture Ministry by the CM.
This is because he is a graduate in agriculture and for the past few years has been actively promoting agriculture in villages although his official post as Chairman of the Sabah Urban Development Corporation (SUDC) had nothing to do with agriculture.
The sole BN-Umno rep in the State Cabinet, Datuk Jafry Ariffin is back in the Tourism Ministry.
He was there when PN-Bersatu + BN formed the State Government in 2020.
He was dropped in early 2023 after the failed coup led by late Bung.
He is the second Tourism Minister to return to the Ministry in recent years. In 2018-2020 DSP Christina Liew of PKR was the Tourism Minister under the Warisan+ government.
His was one of the names of Umno Assemblymen submitted to CM Hajiji after the latter was sworn-in by Umno president Zahid for consideration.
In the initial and unofficial list of potential Assistant Ministers from Umno, there were 3 including incumbent Datuk Harun Durabi from Bengkoka.
However, in the final and actual list at the Istana, none was from BN-Umno.
This I think was partly due to the noise made by GRS YBs and pro-GRS Independents after a BN-Umno YB was appointed Minister the previous day.
A few even threatened to leave GRS.
So the final list of Assistant Ministers only consisted of YBs from GRS and Independents and 1 Star.
I think the lone Star YB’s name was submitted before Dr Jeffery changed his mind about supporting the GRS-BN State government.
By the way the Bingkor YB is Mohd Ishak Ayub whose father is Datuk Ayub Aman who was Bingkor Assemblyman from 1976 to 1985.
Ayub who was also a Minister during Berjaya time and a brother of the Governor (TYT) Tun Musa Aman.
But I doubt Ishak’s appointment has anything to do with Musa.
To illustrate my point, Musa’s own son Hazem Mubarak also won in Sg Manila but he was not appointed.
Coming back to BN, say what you like about Umno president Datuk Ahmad Zahid but he still has my respect for the way he handled things since Nov 29.
His words about the 6 BN YBs supporting the GRS government were polite and had decorum.
This is politics.
In the 2022 MP election, Umno’s battle cry was “No DAP, No Anwar’. But we all known what happened after the election – Unity government, at the urging of the then Agong.
Nothing is static in politics.
Zahid also attended the opening of the Tuaran Umno Division AGM earlier this year despite being advised by certain people against it as “Hajiji is going to be there”. Zahid said “If you have problems with certain people, that is your problem.
As for me, all are my friends.”
Coming back to the Independents and few GRS YBs who initially protested against the inclusion of Umno and PKR in the Cabinet.
They probably felt that the post could have gone to one of them.
Fair enough.
After their initial outburst including gathering at the coffee house in a hotel, Hajiji met some of them to explain, I heard.
Hajiji took pains to explain to them that it was all for political stability as the so-called simple majority of GRS+ was very thin and fragile and no guarantee or vulnerable.
They were reminded of the 2023 coup which almost succeeded.
They were reminded that they should be happy that BN chose GRS+ and not Warisan.
“Would you rather that BN-Umno gave their 6 YBs to Warisan which would put GRS in a precarious situation?” he asked.
Appointing a Minister from Umno and PKR was not an easy decision for Hajiji to make.
He had to do what he had to do, taking all things into consideration.
Whatever he decides, there will be criticisms.
Being a member of the federal unity government, GRS has a Minister and a Deputy Minister in KL.
You mean to tell me it’s alright for Sabah to have a Minister in KL but not alright for KL to have a Minister in Sabah?
Come on. Their Minister in Sabah is a Sabahan, NOT West Malaysian.
Hajiji’s main concern was unity and stability in line with the federal unity government as advised by the then Agong.
Don’t be like a certain political party in Sabah who shouted Sabah For Sabahans and No Malaya Party everyday during the election.
But they have a Deputy Minister in KL who has not resigned until today.
They even claimed that they were the first Sabah party to throw its weight behind Anwar after the 2022 MP election.
They have been a part of the federal unity government since 2022.
What hypocrites!
You see, this is how politics work.
If BN with their 6 YBs threw their weight behind Warisan, others like the small parties and Independents might follow.
All it takes is an offer of Ministerial post or you know what. This is Sabah.
Despite the Anti-Hop Law, supporting another party is not the same as joining another party.
You won’t get into trouble as long as you don’t switch party, explain a lawyer. Also, it is alright for a party or coalition to support another coalition.
If you are sacked by your party, so be it.
So far BN or PN has not sacked any of their YBs who switched support without changing party because to do so would mean they lose one YB and there is no guarantee that they will win the by-election.
The two suspended Umno YB in Sabah is a good example.
If the YB switched party officially or stand on GRS ticket, they fall into the trap of BN/Umno.
In conclusion, the recent election saw a couple of surprises.
One of them is PH (PKR-DAP) was almost completely wiped out. Out of the 21 PH candidates, only one from PKR won.
Even then, it was common knowledge that the lone PKR YB is actually former PGRS Melalap divisional chief on loan to PKR at the eleventh hour.
So in a way can say wipe out also.
DAP lost in all the 8 seats that it contested in. Seven of them are Chinese or urban seats.
What does it say about DAP’s future in Sabah? I am not a soothsayer but I have a feeling that this may be the end of DAP in Sabah at least for another one or two elections.
All good things must come to an end and DAP has to face this reality.
Whether they like it or not. It is unlikely that they will recover in 5 years.
May be 10 or 15 lah. With due respect, today’s DAP in Sabah is juts like MCA and Gerakan, dead but not buried.
I once served a historian and he was fond of saying History Always Repeat Itself.
In post-Independence Malaya and later Malaysia, MCA even had a Chief Minister in Penang.
It was then wiped out after former MCA chairman Dr Lim Chong Eu formed and led Gerakan.
For almost 3 decades, Gerakan led the Penang State Government under Tun Dr Lim and later Tan Sri Koh Shu Khoon.
Then it crashed and DAP took over since 2008.
Is DAP beginning to face what MCA and Gerakan faced in Penang before? We wait and see.
Gerakan is now with PN while only MCA remain in BN.
After the 2018 election, MCA said it would leave BN. But they didn’t have the guts.
Will Gerakan which also left BN make a comeback through PN on the next national election? We wait and see.
In politics, anything is possible.
As for PKR, it looks like it is done for good in Sabah at least for the next few years as long as Warisan is alive.
Whether it will face the same fate in the next national election expected in 2027, I do not want to play the part of the Soothsayer.
PM Anwar and a few federal leaders came over to campaign for PH-PKR-DAP.
Anwar even personally introduced Datuk Ruji Ubi to the Merotai people even before nomination, pointing out that he was the most senior civil servant from Sabah in KL.
DAP Sec-Gen Anthony Loke and Lim Kit Siang also came over to campaign for his party. But it was useless.
Which reminds me of 1985 when the entire BN machinery from KL came over to campaign for Berjaya.
There was a ‘Rumah Malaya’ or Rumah BN in every constituency which was not welcomed by Sabahans.
Even the speeches by KL leaders were disliked by Sabahans.
The culmination was of course the famous “Swim or Sink” speech of then PM and BN chairman Tun Dr M just days before polling at the KK Padang.
After that speech some Berjaya leaders said No Need to Campaign Already.
But after the election, only BN Swim and Berjaya Sink.
PBS was invited to join BN eventually which was a mistake actually as PBS lost all 4 Chinese seats to DAP in the 1986 MP election.
See how effective the anti-Malaya or anti-BN feeling?
In fact, since 1985 I have never seen or felt such anti-Malaya feeling like in the recent election.
Everywhere I go including coffeeshops I hear this talk of Tolak Parti Malaya and every other day got new people joining Warisan.
True enough, the results did show the Tolak Parti Malaya spirit. GRS is local, don’t forget.
But all is well that ends well. GRS could still form the government thanks to the KDM seats.
Who would have expected Upko to win in Moyog and Tamparuli? Upko also won in Penampang in 2022.
Does this mean the end of Warisan in Penampang/Moyog? PH-PKR-DAP lost all 7 Chinese seats it contested, just like the MP election of 1986.
Infact 8 if Kemabong a Murut-majority area were to be included. PKR also lost all except for Malalap.
But the victor in Melalap is the former PGRS chief on loan.
In conclusion, it is up to the losers especially PKR and DAP to do some soul-searching and find ways to improve things before the next MP election expected in 2027. – Daily Express
Ediitor: The views expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the talantang.com
