BUT OF COURSE, MAHATHIR WOULD BREAK HIS PROMISE: IN SABAH, BITTERNESS & CONSPIRACY THEORIES RAGE ON OVER BERSATU’S UNPOPULAR ENTRY

SOME Parti Warisan Sabah leaders expressed surprise when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced last week that his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia would enter Sabah.

They should not have been takajut (Sabah slang for surprise). They should have known about the compromise their president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal had to make soon after five MPs, nine assemblymen and two Senators quit Sabah Umno to be independent last December.

The Sabah Chief Minister had asked the Prime Minister to honour their pre-GE14 gentleman’s agreement that Bersatu would not spread its wings to Sabah.

Instead of being a gentleman, Dr Mahathir gave Shafie two months to persuade them to join Warisan. After the deadline, the Warisan president only managed to get Tempasuk assemblyman Datuk Musbah Jamli.

Shafie had met some of the former Sabah Umno leaders to convince them to join his party. However, they “wanted too many things”.

A political insider close to the independents said the former Umno leaders who Shafie called or met personally did not demand anything spectacular.

“The reason is simple – Shafie’s mukadimah (opening line) always emphasises that there is no more post in the government but he can help in the annual YB allocation,” he said.

The independents, he added, had an understanding that they would stick together as a single group and decide their political options.

“Joining Warisan was not one of the options. In any case, Shafie was only interested in the YBs,” he said.

“Musbah broke from the ranks for reasons only known to himself. He broke his own pledge to remain with the independents. The rest stayed true to their words.”

A political observer aligned to Warisan said the independents refused to join Warisan as they were not concerned about state interest but their personal benefit.

“Some of them were stalked by MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) and some are so used to federal politics and patronage that they ignored Shafie’s magnanimous approach,” he said.

According to the political insider close to the independents, there was never a specific offer from Bersatu for the former Sabah Umno leaders to join it.

“Their preference for Bersatu is understandable. It is a national Bumiputra party quite similar to Umno and with leaders whom they are very familiar with.

“Assimilation into the party would be seamless,” he said. “With the trend of the central authority giving a greater degree of autonomy to states including political autonomy, there is not much difference between a local and a national party. The effectiveness in dealing with Kuala Lumpur lies in the quality of state leadership.”

When asked if Bersatu would be part of the Sabah government, the political insider close to the independents said he could not speculate on the matter.

“But I believe it’s not the priority of the independent YBs. They know their place. And they don’t want to appear as if they left Umno to get government posts,” he said.

In a press conference in Kota Kinabalu four days after Dr Mahathir’s “surprising” announcement, Shafie read a statement, saying his party could not stop Bersatu from coming to Sabah. He also advised Warisan supporters and Sabahans not to get emotional over the matter. The political observer aligned to Warisan said some party members were uneasy as they felt that Dr Mahathir had shown disrespect to the promise made prior to GE14.

“If he could break that promise, there would be no guarantee that he would not breach any other undertakings he made pertaining to granting our rights provided by the MA63 (Malaysia Agreement 1963),” he said.

The political insider close to the independents has a different view.

Warisan, he said, was very confident Bersatu would never entertain Sabahans’ request for it to expand in their state.

“Their leaders were telling – gloatingly with a whip of arrogance – everyone that it won’t happen. The announcement came as a rude shock, a slap, thus the emotional response,” he said.

Tony Paridi Bagang, a senior lecturer at the faculty of administrative science and policy studies in UiTM Sabah, said Warisan was apprehensive of Bersatu as both would be fighting for the Muslim Bumiputra voters.

“Even if you look at its name – Pribumi – you are already afraid. Warisan is worried, although it sees itself as a multiracial party, as its supporters are mostly Bumiputra Muslims and with Bersatu coming in, it will be a threat – which I see as competition within the ruling coalition – for these voters,” he said.

Sabah DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) publicity secretary Phoong Jin Zhe described Bersatu’s decision as a stab in the back of the Warisan-Pakatan Harapan-Upko Sabah government.

“It was disrespectful of Bersatu to do so, especially because the party will allow these rejected leaders to resurrect themselves and take positions in the government,” said the Luyang assemblyman.

However, previously Phoong was silent when several assemblymen from Umno joined Warisan, causing the collapse of the Barisan Nasional state government.

From the heated discussion in WhatsApp groups on Sabah politics, some see the entry of Bersatu to their state as history repeating itself.

In 1991, Umno expanded to Sabah. Ironically, Shafie was one of the Sabahans who brought the party from Malaya into the state.

Three years later, although local-based Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) won the 1994 state polls, Umno overthrew it via political frogs.

Now, some Sabahans see Bersatu as Umno 3.0 invading their state. They are worried the party from Malaya might do to local-based Warisan, what Umno did to PBS.

On WhatsApp discussion, there were Sabahans who felt betrayed. They supported Dr Mahathir in GE14 because they thought he could be trusted as age had mellowed the grand old man of Malaysian politics. His U-turn was a big reality slap on their face.

In the discussion on WhatsApp groups, one of the worries about the Bersatu entry is politicians who the voters rejected in GE14 could recycle themselves.

Take, for instance, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah president Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin. He and other assemblymen ditched PBS to join Umno, resulting in the fall of the PBS government in 1994. In 2013, he abandoned Umno to be with PKR.

Lajim lost in the two seats – Beaufort parliament and Klias state – he contested in GE14. His party also lost in all seats it contested. One would have thought that his political career was over. Think again. And don’t be takajut.

Lajim is a political survivor. He has disbanded his party for his members to join Bersatu.

What’s the political impact of Bersatu setting foot in the parochial Borneo state?

“It breaks Shafie’s monopoly of ‘special relationship’ with powers-that-be in Kuala Lumpur. Local Bersatu leaders would have easier access to the central leadership,” said the political insider close to the independents.

“KL too can depend on them for a second opinion on a variety of issues affecting the state. Shafie would now have to share the bragging rights with local Bersatu leaders.”

The political observer aligned to Warisan noted that most of Bersatu’s support would come from ex-Umno supporters.

“But it can’t be denied that a negligible percentage of Warisan supporters will jump ship especially those who feel that they have been neglected, sidelined or deemed themselves to be marginalised by new Warisan supporters,” he said.

He elaborated: “This will come from all seats won by Umno/Barisan and a small percentage from Muslim-majority seats won by Warisan.”

Bagang, the UiTM Sabah senior lecturer, said it gave more options for Sabahans especially the Bumiputra to pick their political platform. With Bersatu in Sabah, he said there would be political realignment.

“Perhaps, this could lead to a split of support within the Bumiputra particularly the Muslim-Bumiputra. Bersatu might reduce the dominance of local-based party – Warisan – in the Sabah political landscape,” he said.

Politics is full of surprises. Bersatu’s Sabah move, however, was not to be takajut.

THE STAR

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