Ahad, September 23, 2012

SABAH OPPOSITION IN DOGFIGHT FOR SEATS

Sabah opposition in dogfight for seats

Latest developments in Sabah's political scene are an indication of the failure by PKR's top leaders to unite the people in support of a cohesive Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

KOTA KINABALU September 21, 2012: The already muddy political scene in the state is getting dirtier as the general election looms and the battle for candidacy heats up.

The switch by former Barisan Nasional loyalists to the opposition is threatening to upset the delicate balance between the newcomers and the old hands, with both claiming they are the legitimate first-choice contenders for any seat.

Until a few weeks ago, PKR was the main opposition party that was seen as being able to topple BN’s Maximus Ongkili from his parliamentary seat in Kota Marudu where he is considered an interloper as his family is from Tambunan.

Anthony Mandiau Support for popular local-born Anthony Mandiau, a PKR candidate in the 12th general election, was rising even though he was defeated by Ongkili. The writing was on the wall when he polled a creditable 7,830 votes against the winner’s 12,028.

Mandiau did the same in 2004 as an independent candidate polling 7,268 votes against Ongkili’s 10,457.

However, with the entry of former United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) veteran leaders Wilfred Bumburing and Senator Maijol Mahap who quit their party and the ruling coalition to enter the fray, Mandiau may not get the chance to test the third-time-lucky game plan.

Things were looking up for him when Mahap, the former Upko vice-president, quit BN to throw his support for Pakatan Rakyat.

“The number of PKR supporters has increased close to 10,000 now compared to just 13 members when I joined the party in 2007,” Mandiau told delegates of the divisional party’s congress in Kota Marudu last week.

However, the jump in the number of overt supporters is making him sweat rather than smile.

“It now seems that my friend [Mahap] has his own plans. He quit BN so that he can contest in the coming election on a Pakatan ticket.

“When I joined PKR in 2007, Upko leaders including Mahap laughed at me… they were telling the people of Kota Marudu that my move was wrong as I was joining a political party that had no following. Now they want to join us,” he told the congress.

‘Newcomers’ stoking anger

Mandiau, a two-time opposition candidate, views (Mahap’s) move as unprincipled in the light of the newcomers’ attempts to commandeer the process of nominating opposition candidates for various seats in the state.

Mahap has joined Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) headed by Bumburing, who is Tuaran MP.

Bumburing has declared support for Pakatan and seems intent on stamping his mark on the question of candidacy.

Mandiau disclosed that Bumburing was accompanied by Mahap and former senator Kalakau Untol last week to a gathering of PKR supporters in Kampung Marak Parak, a remote village in the Kota Marudu district.

“It was during this gathering that the APS leader announced that Mahap will be the Pakatan candidate for the Kota Marudu parliamentary seat, contesting on a PKR ticket.

“What is this? This is clear that Mahap resigned from Upko so that he can contest, which he would not have been able to do if he is still in BN,” Mandiau said.

He said he was only informed by Mahap about the function three hours before it began at 2pm and he was unable to attend.

But said that he was with the senator the day before and there was no mention about the next day’s gathering.

“I am the Kota Marudu PKR head but was sidelined. This should not have happened,” he said, adding that PKR leaders in the division are not happy about the new developments following APS’ entry into the district.

GEORGE SANGKINHe also told the congress that due to APU’s move and activities in promoting Mahap as the candidate, former MP George Sangkin and about 1,000 supporters had left PKR.

But Sangkin had promised support if he (Mandiau) is the candidate.

PKR leaders must listen to people

Mandiau believes the same battle for seats is happening in other constituencies where those who left BN to join APS and Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS) headed by Beaufort MP Lajim Ukin are expecting to be rewarded for the switch in allegiance.

There is a tacit understanding that APS would help Pakatan in non-Muslim Bumiputera areas while Muslim constituencies would be looked after by PPS.

The understanding also includes a carte blanche to the leaders of the two organisations to contest where they please using any of the opposition’s component parties – PKR, PAS, DAP – as their platform.

However, this has not gone down well with many opposition supporters.

Mandiau pointed out for the opposition to win, party leaders must listen to the voice of the majority and “not just a handful who have just jumped ship into the Pakatan stable”.

He said a disunited opposition would be to the advantage of the BN.

Mahap contested for BN against PBS-opposition Ongkili in the 1999 general election but lost, obtaining 6,781 votes against Ongkili’s 8,465.

The coming election will potentially also see opposition candidates fielded by the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and State Reform Party (STAR), further splintering the vote.

Ongkili unperturbed

Tandak SAPP vice-chairman John Mitah Mikat said the latest developments are an indication of the failure by PKR to unite the people of Sabah in support of the opposition coalition in facing the 13th general election.

Ongkili himself does not look like a man under pressure. He has been boasting that his Kota Marudu parliamentary seat and its two state seats of Matunggong and Tandek are safe seats for BN.

The three seats have always been PBS strongholds since 1985 and the party’s candidates have always won the seats even when it was in the opposition. Before being elected as an MP, Ongkili had also served as Tandek assemblyman.

Ongkili, the PBS deputy president, won the seat in 1995 and 1999 elections when the party headed by his uncle Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the current Sabah BN deputy chief minister, was still in the opposition.

The federal Science, Technology and Innovation Minister went on to win the seats again in 2004 and 2008 general elections on a BN ticket. PBS pulled out from BN in 1990 and rejoined in 2002.

Joseph Bingkasan

47 ulasan:

  1. The opposition party, either based on Sabah or peninsular, will not going have even a tiny chance to replace bn in the coming GE because of BN's good record in Sabah.

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. opposition in sabah still in dogfights for seats...

      Padam
    2. yup.. all sabahan will give their full support to Musa Aman leadership..

      Padam
    3. Pegaduhan untuk merebut kerusi di Sabah.

      Padam
    4. Betul..Datuk musa tetap yang terbaik untuk Sabah. Kalau kita lihat sendiri pun sokongan penduduk Sabah kepada Datuk Musa tidak pernah berubah pun.

      Padam
    5. Sabah has its own way of making the state a better place to stay.

      Padam
  2. the opposition votes will be split...

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. Yes I'm sure the opposition votes will split.

      Padam
  3. PR, SAPP, STAR hanya seronok sendiri..masing2 cakap besar...konon dapat sokongan rakyat padahal ianya hanya retorik...

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. opposition keep repeating and recycled outdated issue as their political modal to gain support from the people but the people knows better...recycled issue won't work...

      Padam
    2. PR, SAPP dan STAR masing2 mahu meletakkan calon di semua kerusi di Sabah.. kalau begini, macam mana mereka mahu menang?

      Padam
    3. Biasalah nak pancing undi kan, pembangkang pun tidak terkecuali.

      Padam
  4. w/pun terdapat beberapa wakil rakyat yang keluar dari BN, namun tidak memberi apa2 kesan yang besar kepada BN sabah...bahkan BN sabah kini lebih kuat dan kukuh tanpa mereka.

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. sebelum ini bukan setakat pemimpin, malah dengan parti sekali keluar meninggalkan BN.. tidak ada pula BN Sabah terjejas..

      Padam
    2. Both Karambunai and Beaufort are BN stronghold.

      Padam
  5. ditambah lagi dengan rekod musa aman yang cemerlang sepanjang menjadi KM sabah, BN sabah berpeluang besar untuk menang berbanding dengan pembangkang...

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. itu yang pembangkang risau sangat tu.. dengan kecekapan pentadbiran Datuk Musa, maka seakin tipis la peluang mereka untuk merampas kerajaan negeri ini..

      Padam
    2. Yes indeed. Let's vote for BN.

      Padam
    3. peluang BN di Sabah amat besar. ia tetap kukuh.

      Padam
  6. opposition doesn't have a chance to form a new govt after 13GE...

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. yup.. especially with greed attitude among their leaders..

      Padam
  7. lagi teruklah pembangkang sabah selepas beberapa pemimpin BN Sabah melompat masuk ke parti pebangkang.. sudah tentu katak2 ini perlu disuapkan dengan kerusi, jawatan atau $$$..

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. kita sebagai rakyat jgnlah pilih pemimpin katak.

      Padam
    2. Pembangkang di Sabah hanya menggunakan isu2 Sabah untuk menarik undi rakyat Sabaha

      Padam
  8. pembangkang2 di Sabah mmg sentiasa bertelagah.

    BalasPadam
    Balasan
    1. Pembangkang di sabah hanya mementingkan egenda sendiri saja

      Padam
  9. tidak dinafikan bahawa barisan pembangkang di Sabah bergerak ke arah perpaduan, akan tetapi gabungan pemerintah Barisan Nasional kelihatan masih berada di hadapan dalam PRU ke-13..

    BalasPadam
  10. walaupun pembangkang memperolehi momentum dari beberapa pembelotan kebelakangan ini, pembangkang di Sabah masih perlu bekerja keras dan mengelakkan pertandingan tiga penjuru dalam pilihan raya akan datang.

    BalasPadam
  11. Terdapat pelbagai parti pembangkang di Sabah termasuk Parti Pembaharuan Negeri (STAR), Parti Progressif Sabah (SAPP), Pakatan Rakyat (PR) dan baru2 ini menambah sekutu — Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) dan Pakatan Perubahan Sabah (PPS) yang baru ditibuhkan.. bolehkah semua parti ini bersatu membentuk satu gabungan seperti Barisan Nasional?

    BalasPadam
  12. Pakatan Rakyat has again revealed the cracks within the opposition bloc which will prove to be disastrous should it form federal government, said Khairy Jamaluddin.

    BalasPadam
  13. To substantiate his argument, the Umno Youth chief pointed to the contradictory stands by Pakatan state governments on holding simultaneous polls if the general election is called in November as speculated.

    BalasPadam
  14. While the PAS-governed Kelantan has no problems adhering to the date set by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim however said the PKR-led Selangor will not do so.

    BalasPadam
  15. Anwar is adamant that Selangor will not go to the polls until the electoral roll is cleaned up.

    BalasPadam
  16. However, Khairy questioned the logic of the electoral roll being good enough for PAS in Kelantan but not for PKR in Selangor.

    BalasPadam
  17. “This once again shows that they are far from united. This is basic stuff and yet there is no agreement. This will be disastrous in government,” he told FMT.

    BalasPadam
  18. The BN Youth chairman also took Pakatan to task for throwing brickbats at Najib for creating uncertainty over the election date, when the opposition bloc is doing the same.

    BalasPadam
  19. “They are not exactly making things better, are they?” he stressed.

    BalasPadam
  20. “It is very hypocritical of them [to announce this], especially after all their criticism regarding the PM delaying the polls,” he said.

    BalasPadam
  21. Khairy also said Anwar’s stand suggested that Pakatan is not confident of retaining Selangor in the next election.

    BalasPadam
  22. “Perhaps they want more time or they want to use the general election’s results as a factor for campaigning.

    BalasPadam
  23. “So if they lose in the general election, they will ask the voters in Selangor to give them another chance since we still have a BN government at the federal level,” he added.

    BalasPadam
  24. Apart from this, Khairy said there is no point in digging into the public coffers to hold separate polls since the difference in dates will just be a matter of months.

    BalasPadam
  25. “Why waste the rakyat’s money just to delay the elections for a few months?” he asked.

    BalasPadam
  26. The federal government’s term will expire in April 2013 but Najib has come under fire for placing the nation on election alert for months, prompting certain quarters to call for a fixed election date.

    BalasPadam
  27. Meanwhile, several Selangor excos dismissed a rumour that Anwar did not consult the menteri besar before making the statement thus catching the state leadership by surprise.

    BalasPadam
  28. The coming general election is being touted as the toughest in the nation’s history, with the opposition claiming that it has a clear shot at unseating BN, which has been in power for more than five decades.

    BalasPadam
  29. However, pundits claim that with the BN votebanks of Sabah and Sarawak, such a feat will be nothing short of impossible.

    BalasPadam