The Malaysian Insight

SOME Sabahans are taking a sceptical approach as the baggage of history clouds the entry of peninsula-based ruling party Bersatu into the state today.

First impressions by locals who are not members of any political party tend to be negative, with the launch of the Sabah Bersatu chapter reminding them of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s attempt to exert control over state politics again.

Businessman Wilson Chong said Bersatu’s entry reminded him of the way Umno entered Sabah in 1990, orchestrated by Dr Mahathir as the then prime minister and Umno president.

In the state’s 1994 election, leading local party Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) won the polls with 25 seats against the 23 won by Barisan Nasional (BN), led by Umno.

BN eventually wrest control of the state through defection of PBS reps who quit to form new parties that aligned themselves the coalition.

“It’s like the coming of Umno all over again,” said Chong.

“I don’t believe Bersatu leaders do not have intentions to become the dominant party here. They will want to take over control, like how Umno did in the 1990s.

“We want autonomy. We want Sabah run by Sabahans,” said the 48-year-old from Kinarut.

Tutor Suzie Maidan Jasni says one of the negative impact of Umno’s entry in the 1990s was the flooding of the federal public service in Sabah with officers from the peninsula.

She recalled that Sabah also did not get its due in terms of revenue from natural resources and became one of the poorest states in the country, as well as implementation of Projek IC – a surreptitious policy to grant Malaysian identity cards to immigrants to Sabah, which locals pin on Dr Mahathir.

“Under PBS, we had control of our land, our rights and where our people worked. Others didn’t run things for us.

“Umno came in and everything went south. Just as Sabahans are about to regain their own control with Warisan, Dr Mahathir comes in again, trying to exert control,” the 38-year-old said.

Bersatu had promised to stay out of Sabah after Pakatan Harapan won federal power in the 14th general election last year as the state government under Parti Warisan Sabah was its ally and friendly to Putrajaya.

The promise was reiterated even after five MPs and nine assemblymen from Sabah Umno quit the party to become independents in December.

But on February 15, Bersatu chairman Dr Mahathir announced that the party would set up a Sabah chapter “to strengthen the state government”.

The launch today is expected to draw 30,000 people to the venue at the International Technology and Commercial Centre in Penampang.

Bersatu’s entry will automatically give it eight state assemblymen, out of 61 seats in the legislature.

The eight are former Sabah Umno reps who left the party in December. They had been waiting to join Bersatu once it launches in Sabah.

Warisan grassroots members, meanwhile, are taking the wait-and-see approach, confident that their party has enough numbers in the state assembly to fend off Bersatu.

Penampang grassroots leader Ben Michaels, 50, said Warisan has 31 out of 60 seats in the state assembly under president and Semporna MP Mohd Shafie Apdal.

The other seats in the Warisan government are held by DAP (six), PKR (four) and Upko (four).

On the opposition bench are Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (two) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (five).

“It will be really tough if Bersatu aims to take over power,” said Michaels.

Another Warisan member and former information chief, Honorsius Bosuin said party members still see Bersatu’s entry as a broken promise by their ally, but will stand behind Shafie their president.

Shafie has not put up a strong challenge against Bersatu’s entry, saying that there is nothing Warisan can do to stop another political party from setting up shop in the state.

“We still see it as breaking a promise, but how we work with Bersatu will depend on Shafie,” said Honorsius.

“We are leaving it to our president on matters like this.” – April 6, 2019