Why Sabah must take itself back… without PKR
AUG 1 ― Somewhere in Putrajaya, the damage control machinery is going into overdrive.
It would explain why Barisan Nasional (BN) was desperate enough to have one of the least-qualified politicians comment on the two Sabah MPs leaving BN, namely MCA’s president.
Last I heard, MCA is hardly a force to reckon with in the state. Dr Chua Soi Lek? Really, BN?
Before the PKR fanboys start celebrating a “wave of change”, I foresee one thing not changing: PKR’s foothold in the state.
It is far more likely that Sabah politicians will decide to stay within locally-formed parties such as SAPP and UPKO rather than join PKR, DAP or, least likely, PAS.
That is the smartest thing to do because let’s be frank: Neither BN nor Pakatan have Sabahans’ best interests at heart. All Sabah is to them is a pocket of votes, a ticket to claiming Putrajaya.
PKR in its dealings with Sabah and Sarawak have made it clear that they do not understand the local populace and, like Umno, have the same rigid mentality towards race and religion.
Anwar Ibrahim making Azmin Ali Sabah PKR leader was pretty much the biggest clue that PKR does not understand the local populace. It is fairly apparent that PKR practises the Malay-centric mentality that Umno preaches.
If it wasn’t so, then DAP wouldn’t have a reason to exist now, would it? If PKR is truly the inclusive party it claims to be, why should Chinese opposition politicians choose DAP over PKR?
It is simple; for all its bluster, PKR is just Umno in opposition colours. And Umno and its Malay-dominance ethos is the last thing Sabah needs.
Should more Sabah politicians decide to eschew BN, they would be better off forming their own coalitions and “work with” Pakatan.
The problem here is that Anwar and the rest of PKR are still delusional about their chances in the state, unwilling to give ground.
Anwar probably dreams of installing a PKR member as chief minister, where things will probably still remain status quo. Anwar’s government will continue to beggar Sabah’s resources, live off its oil royalties and parcel out contracts as “rewards” to his faithful. Just like Umno.
Allow Sabah more autonomy or self-governance? If Anwar couldn’t give that to Sabah PKR, he wouldn’t give it to Sabah under Pakatan rule.
Sabah PKR is now mostly made up of politicians with very little influence, adept only at being Anwar’s yes-men. Because Anwar is, like most Umno-ilk politicians, more keen on hearing what he wants to hear than what he needs to hear.
Umno will probably still keep the state as the vote will most likely be so split among opposition politicians that BN candidates would win by sheer luck. Or with the help of “new” citizens.
The smartest thing for Sabah BN politicians tired of BN’s empty promises would be just to repeat the 1994 elections and defect right after winning their respective seats.
After all, Sabah created the “frog” phenomenon of jumping whenever they feel like it and at the worst (read: most crucial) moments.
Perhaps for once, Sabah’s politicians will be “frogs” for the right reasons and make a real leap towards taking the state back for its people.
But seeing as Sabah politicians have shown themselves to be mostly self-serving individuals who have no problems signing away our oil rights and Labuan... I’m not very optimistic.
But I would dearly love to be proven wrong.
Erna Mahyuni
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