BN members still fighting over SAPP seats

 

By Joseph Bingkasan of Free Malaysia Today

| October 30, 2012

          

The Sepanggar parliamentary seat which BN component parties are tussling over will be an easy win as there are 3,000 registered postal voters.

 

KOTA KINABALU: Barisan Nasional coalition members are scrambling to claim constituencies won by their former colleague Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) in the last general election.

Leaders of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), United Pasok Mompogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko), Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and BN’s backbone Umno have all thrown their hats in the ring for their members to contest the MP seats of Sepanggar, Tawau and the state seats of Likas and Luyang.

SAPP, now in the opposition holds the two parliamentary seats through party deputy president Eric Majimbun (Sepanggar) and vice president Chua Soon Bui (Tawau) while Liew Teck Chan and Melanie Chia are the state assembly representatives for Likas and Luyang.

All four had won the seats on BN ticket but the party led by former chief minister Yong Teck Lee quit the coalition on Sept 7, 2008.

PBS president Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan has announced that his party has applied to BN chairman, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, to register the mixed constituency of Sepanggar seat under PBS.

Pairin is basing the party’s claim ahead of other BN coalition aspirants on the shaky premise that PBS enjoys huge support in the constituency.

SAPP proved their contention a fallacy in the Nov 9, 1999 election. The constituency was then known as Gaya. Yong defeated PBS candidate Johnny Goh Chin Lok, now the Inanam assemblyman, 15,315 votes to 11,198 votes. Third candidate Hamzah Abdullah of PAS only managed 729 votes.

However, PBS is this time also in a skirmish with Upko head Bernard Dompok, Pairin’s archival for the Kadazandusun political crown.

Dompok who is the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister announced the party’s claim to the Sepanggar also on the basis of enjoying huge support in the constituency.

The last time Upko’s strength was tested was in the March, 1999 election where its candidate Christine Van Houten, a former civil servant, was defeated in the state constituency of Inanam. The constituency together with Karambunai is within the Sepanggar parliamentary constituency.

BN minnows, PBRS, headed by Joseph Kurup and LDP whose president Liew Vui Kiong is Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department have also established bases in Sepanggar but unlike PBS, Upko and Umno, they are not active in the area.

Easier seat for BN

Umno, the main party in the the Sabah BN coalition, can be said to have the upper hand in any tussle among coalition members to contest Sepanggar.

Its divisional head Jumat Idris, is seen as a close aide of Chief Minister Musa Aman, the Sabah BN chief. Idris is also the BN chairman for the constituency.

Incumbent Majimbun is rumoured to be all set to move into state politics by contesting in his home constituency of Inanam.

Majimbun, who is SAPP deputy president, however also disclosed that his party would nevertheless field a candidate to defend Sepanggar.

The Sepanggar MP seat is said to be one of the easier seats for the BN to wrest from the opposition irrespective of who in the BN coalition gets the nod to be the candidate.

Political pundits say the electoral balance is tipped against the opposition here given that there are about 3,000 postal votes registered in Sepanggar.

According to them, based on past election results, postal voters by and large have always proved to be ‘government supporters’.

This is more so in Sepanggar where there is a naval base as it has also been seen in the past that constituencies with a large military presence have always elected a BN candidate.

In the last general election, BN contested in all the 25 MP and 60 state seats. It was a landslide victory for the coalition who only lost the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary and Sri Tanjong state seat to DAP.

However a series of subsequent defections right up to a month ago has allowed the opposition to make further in-roads in the BN’s ‘fixed-deposit’ state.

Meanwhile, apart from the seats now held by SAPP, seat allocation for the Sabah BN members has almost been settled, according to Dompok.

Opening Upko Beaufort division delegate conference over the weekend, he said there was no more problem in seats allocation as all the component parties had been informed of the seats they will be contesting in the elections.

Ex-Sabah BN MPs in Pakatan panel

By Joseph Bingkasan of Free Malaysia Today

| October 31, 2012

          

According to a former Upko senator, current party leaders were 'trapped' by PM Najib Tun Razak's announcement of an RCI which is unlikely to convene before the polls.

 

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah MPs Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin – the respective leaders of new opposition groupings Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) and Pakatan Pertubuhan Angkatan Sabah (PPS) – are now members of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) national council.

APS is led by Tuaran MP and former-deputy president of United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) Bumburing while PPS is headed by Beaufort MP Lajim who is a former Umno supreme council member.

Both the MPs had on July 29 quit all posts that came with their positions as BN coalition members and pledged support to former prime deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim who now leads Pakatan.

However, both Bumburing and Lajim have yet to join any of the opposition coalition component parties.

Bumburing’s former boss in Upko, Bernard Dompok, was quick to paint the two former senior BN leaders ‘partyless’ status as indecisive, saying that they displayed the lack of confidence in Pakatan’s political struggle.

Dompok, the Plantations Industries and Commodities Minister, who is fighting his own battle to remain relevant in the ruling coalition, also questioned the need for Bumburing and Lajim to establish APS and PPS as their political platforms.

Dompok likened the Anwar-led opposition “as a duck in the water where on the surface the bird looked calm but underwater it was paddling hard.”

However, APS deputy president Maijol Mahap, an Upko vice-president until he resigned in August this year to team up with Bumburing, has hit back at Dompok.

“It is not for anyone to say whether or not Bumburing has any confidence in any of the political parties that make up Pakatan Rakyat. (Joining a political party) is not his priority,” said the former senator who lost his position after he quit the BN.

Upko has already given the senator post to its deputy secretary-general Lucas Umbol whose nomination was unanimously passed by the Sabah Legislative Assembly last week.

‘Pakatan made up of equal partners’

Mahap disclosed that after going through a series of discussions with several Pakatan party leaders including Anwar, it was agreed that Bumburing and Lajim through APS and PPS, assist the opposition coalition in their quest to topple the BN government and wrest control of Putrajaya.

“In relation to this understanding, leaders from APS and PPS have been appointed as members of Pakatan National Council,” he said.

“Unlike BN where Umno is the dominant force and all the other parties have to follow the dictates of Umno, Pakata) is made of equal partners where no single party dominates the other members of the coalition,” he said.

The former senator also backed Bumburing’s stunning revelation that Upko leaders had discussed pulling the party out of the BN and joining Pakatan.

“In fact before July 29, there were suggestion coming from several Upko leaders wanting Bumburing and his group to postpone their intended date to quit BN-Upko.”

According to Mahap, the leaders eventually agreed to let Bumburing go first while Upko leaders sort out some technicalities.

“However all these notions suddenly changed when Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak promised to announce the formation of RCI,” he added.

Mahap pointed out that currently Upko leaders are in a quandry and find themselves “trapped” by the announcement as until today the members of the RCI have yet to sit while “the terms of reference unveiled is nothing but a tool to try to appease the people”.

Upko leaders, he said, are aware that Sabah’s broken immigration system has posed a huge problem for the state and the country with no solution in sight and questions are now being asked about how tough or tender the federal administration will be towards the million or so immigrants already in the state.

“What will Upko do or say should the RCI fail to complete its reports during the stipulated time given to it and/or in the midst of it Najib dissolves Parliament and calls for elections?

“Perhaps the RCI might not even be able to sit for their first meeting before the general election is called,” he said, adding that Upko leaders would find it tough to go down and convince locals to defend the failure of the Umno-BN government in solving the problem.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Monday, 29 October 2012 Super Admin

Gani and Hishammmuddin told the ICAC that the money actually belongs to Umno and that Michael Chia was only the courier or bagman for Umno. The ICAC told the ‘official Malaysian delegation’ that they (the ICAC) were going to ‘freeze’ the money, but for only three years. After the three years ‘time bar’ (or by 2011), the money would be released and thereafter allowed to leave Hong Kong.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

If you have not yet read Friday’s report by Sarawak Report, Million Dollar Bribes Disguised As ‘Donations’ – UMNO’s Ever Changing Stories!, you can do so HERE. Then read the three reports below.

Basically, Malaysia Today first exposed this timber ‘commission’ scandal involving Umno Sabah back in 2004, soon after Malaysia Today was launched. That was eight years ago. However, no one appeared concerned about the matter then.

Today, the issue has met with much brouhaha -- as if this is something that has just surfaced very recently rather than something that has been going on for decades since Sabah first became part of Malaysia back in 1963.

East Malaysian politics is the politics of timber. Any idiot or dimwit knows this. A Sabah warlord is not a Sabah warlord unless he has at least RM200 million or RM300 million to his name. And that is why Sabah politics is big money. If you want to buy someone worth RM200-RM300 million, the price definitely has got to be huge. RM1 million or RM2 million does not even come close.

The Sabah warlords are known to spend RM3 million to RM6 million a night at the casino. So what is RM1 million or RM2 million? RM1 million or RM2 million is pittance. It is not enough for even a few hours at the roulette table.

Musa Aman, the Sabah Chief Minister, was already worth RM600 million when he took office, according to his official asset declaration. Today, he is estimated to be worth not less than RM1.5 billion, second only to the Sarawak Chief Minister in wealth -- who also made his pile from timber.

And trust me, even those Barisan Nasional turncoats who have joined Pakatan Rakyat recently, or are about to join Pakatan Rakyat soon, are also worth millions. And they, too, made their money the same way. If these are the people Pakatan Rakyat is attracting then it makes no difference whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat rules Sabah.

This is how Sabah's dignitaries travel around the State, in pomp and style

Anyway, as usual, Malaysia Today does not like to repeat what others are already reporting. Malaysia Today only wants to focus on The Untold Story. That is why we do not talk about the Shahrizat Jalil RM250 million cow scandal. As it is, we are already suffering from over-exposure from that story that is close to giving us indigestion. So let me fill in the blanks regarding this Umno Sabah ‘donation’ scandal instead and tell you The Untold Story of this episode.

Umno Sabah gives out timber concessions to its cronies and warlords at way below market price (or underpriced like hell) and it collects a commission (or kickbacks) on the export of logs, mainly to Japan. The money, however, is paid in Hong Kong. And note that there is no open tender for giving out timber concessions. It is all done on a ‘negotiated’ basis and awarded to the lowest bidder that offers the highest under-the-table ‘commission’.

And this was why Michael Chia -- a man Musa Aman says he does not know but photographs of the two show that they know each other -- was caught in Hong Kong. But what most do not know is that Michael Chia and Musa Aman are not the only ones involved. There are many other people involved as well -- such as a lawyer by the name of Richard Barnes.

When this matter first ‘exploded’ in 2008 (four years after Malaysia Today had revealed the scandal), Attorney-General Gani Patail and Home Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein went to Hong Kong to try to ‘settle’ the matter with the Chinese authorities (an act known as kowtim in Malaysia).

Gani and Hishammmuddin told the ICAC that the money actually belongs to Umno and that Michael Chia was only the courier or bagman for Umno. The ICAC told the ‘official Malaysian delegation’ that they (the ICAC) were going to ‘freeze’ the money, but for only three years. After the three years ‘time bar’ (or by 2011), the money would be released and thereafter allowed to leave Hong Kong.

Then we have the Rural and Regional Development Minister, Mohd Shafie Apdal, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s buddy, who was then the Deputy Chief of Umno Sabah. However, he told Najib that he was totally in the dark about what was going on.

Yes, that’s right, every man and his dog in Sabah knew about this Hong Kong drama except the Deputy Chief of Umno Sabah.

The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Nazri Abdul Aziz, who said, “Opposition receives political donations too, not just Sabah Umno”, (read that report here), is also involved. Michael Chia met Nazri in Parliament House to hand over RM3 million in cash as the ‘fee’ for the latter to help the former resolve this matter. And that flashy car that Nazri’s son drives (see picture below) actually belongs to Michael Chia.

Further to that, AG Gani Patail and CM Musa Aman’s brother, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, are related by marriage. Anifah’s wife is sister to Dr Johan Samad, the Deputy Director of Yayasan Sabah, who is in turn married to Fazar Arif, the sister of AG Gani Patail’s wife. Hence what we are seeing here is an all-in-the-family mafia. And where there are no blood ties, money ties make up for it.

This scandal, if not properly resolved, may result in Barisan Nasional losing at least 10 of the 25 Parliamentary seats in Sabah. Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Sipanggar, Penampang, Beaufort, Keningau, Pensiangan, Tuaran and Kota Marudu can most likely fall to the opposition. Nine of those ten seats are Chinese-Kadazan-Dusun seats, except Beaufort, which is a Malay seat. Three other seats -- Kota Belud, Ranau and Papar -- would also be close fights and could go either way.

Hence the likelihood of half the Parliamentary seats in Sabah falling to the opposition is not an impossible scenario. And if that happens then the state can fall as well. That is how serious this matter has become. It seems, according to the financial audit done by Price Waterhouse, about RM3 billion from Yayayan Sabah has mysteriously ‘evaporated’, mainly timber revenue. So this is no small issue and the voters are terribly upset about the whole thing.

If Pakatan Rakyat is clever and if they know the correct way in playing up this issue, Sabah may fall and they might even win enough Parliamentary seats to march into Putrajaya. My concern is that Pakatan Rakyat will instead fight amongst themselves over seat allocations, which will allow Barisan Nasional to retain Sabah.

If this state of affairs continues, Umno may have to replace the head of Umno Sabah as soon as the State Assembly is dissolved and general elections are called. The voters will then have to be told that Musa Aman will not continue as Chief Minister if Barisan Nasional retains the state. Then, most likely, only two seats will fall to the opposition -- Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan -- and Barisan Nasional will sail through with enough seats to form the state government and at least 23 Parliamentary seats in Sabah to deny Pakatan Rakyat the federal government.

*********************************************

Sabah Umno official: ‘We have nothing to hide’

(The Star, 17 December 2004) - KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Umno is of the view that everything is in the clear for its new RM35mil, 11-storey headquarters now under construction in the city.

“As far as Sabah Umno is concerned, I can assure you that everything is above board,” state Umno information chief Datuk Rahim Ismail said, when contacted over a letter that appeared in the website of a local newspaper on Dec 3.

A similar letter was posted on an online newspaper on Wednesday. The letter insinuated that something was amiss in the deal for the construction of the Sabah Umno building on a 0.48ha site in Karamunsing.

Among the questions raised were why Umno did not use its own 2ha land in Sembulan to construct its headquarters and who was overseeing the construction.

The letter purportedly written by someone known as Haniffa, raised various questions on who was the real owner of the new building and if there was any relationship be-tween Sabah Umno and the company developing it.

Rahim, who is a member of the building committee, declined to say anything else other than stressing that everything about the project was above board.

It is learnt that Sabah Umno would let the matter rest although the party discussed it at a meeting a few days ago.

The explanation given was that the building, for which the groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 16 last year, had the blessing of the Umno headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

Umno officials said yesterday that the land was donated by a private company, with the full knowledge of the party leadership.

They said they decided not to construct their building on their own 2ha land at Sembulan because the party wanted to keep it as a prime city property.

“There is nothing secret about this deal,” said a senior Sabah Umno official.

The new Sabah Umno headquarters, which is expected to be completed next year, would not only house the party’s offices but also banks, shops and a hall with a seating capacity for 2,000 people.

*********************************************

RM40m scandal may see BN lose Sabah’

By Teoh El Sen of Free Malaysia Today

| October 29, 2012

          

Raja Petra also claims that more are involved in the RM40 million scandal - including the home minister, attorney-general and a Cabinet minister.

 

PETALING JAYA: Timber scandals in Sabah, particularly the recent one involving a RM40 million “donation”, may cost Barisan Nasional the state, claimed Raja Petra Kamarudin today.

The editor of the Malaysia Today blog, in his latest posting “The timber mafia is larger than you suspect”, also claimed that there were more people involved in the “untold story” of timber commissions scandal and it was not just limited to businessman Michael Chia and Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman.

“The likelihood of half the parliamentary seats in Sabah falling to the opposition is not an impossible scenario. And if that happens then the state can fall as well. That is how serious this matter has become,” he said.

He said that BN could lose at least 10 of the 25 Parliamentary seats in Sabah to the opposition, while three other seats — Kota Belud, Ranau and Papar — would be “close fights and could go either way”.

The10 seats he mentioned were: Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Sipanggar, Penampang, Beaufort, Keningau, Pensiangan, Tuaran and Kota Marudu.

“If Pakatan Rakyat is clever and if they know the correct way in playing up this issue, Sabah may fall and they might even win enough parliamentary seats to march into Putrajaya. My concern is that Pakatan will instead fight amongst themselves over seat allocations, which will allow BN to retain Sabah, ” he said.

Will Musa be replaced?

Raja Petra predicted that with the scandal still brewing hot, the current chief minister’s position has become unstable and Umno may have to replace Musa as the Sabah Umno chief to appease voters.

He said that his website had published articles about the timber scandals involving Musa and others since 2004, but many are still unaware of the extent of the alleged corruption.

“Sabah Umno gives out timber concessions to its cronies and warlords at way below market price (or underpriced) and it collects a commission (or kickbacks) on the export of logs, mainly to Japan.

“The money, however, is paid in Hong Kong. And note that there is no open tender for giving out timber concessions. It is all done on a ‘negotiated’ basis and awarded to the lowest bidder that offers the highest under-the-table ‘commission’,” he alleged.

He claimed that after Chia was caught in Hong Kong in 2008 and the story “exploded”, the Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein went to Hong Kong to try to “settle” the matter with the Chinese authorities.

“Gani and Hishammuddin told the ICAC that the money actually belongs to Umno and that Chia was only the courier or bagman for Umno,” alleged Raja Petra.

He further alleged that the ICAC, in return, told the “official Malaysian delegation” that they were going to freeze the money, but for only three years.

Raja Petra also alleged that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz was also involved.

“Chia met Nazri in Parliament to hand over RM3 million in cash as the ‘fee’ for the latter to help the former resolve this matter.

“And that flashy car that Nazri’s son drives actually belongs to Chia,” alleged Raja Petra.

FMT could not reach Hishammuddin, Gani, and Nazri for comment.

 

Opposition too weak to take on Sabah BN, says analyst

Lu Wei Hoong of Malaysiakini 12:18PM Oct 25, 2012

Pakatan Rakyat is not strong enough to take on the BN in Sabah despite the peninsular-based opposition coalition having gradually made inroads into the East Malaysian state, a political pundit argues.

Speaking at a forum in Kuala Lumpur last night, the political scientist, who requested that his name not be published, said the Pakatan Rakyat parties did not cooperate well with the Sabah local parties.

"I think (for) the opposition to deliver a strong blow to the BN in Sabah, it must unite and form a very strong opposition coalition.

"(However) I don't think it is happening now," he added at the forum held to mark the launching of a book, ‘Democracy at stake? Examining 16 By-elections in Malaysia, 2008-2011' at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

The academician said possible multi-cornered fights among the opposition parties would reduce any winning chance the opposition could have.

This problem might be solved if PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim could persuade Sabah strongmen such as Jeffrey Kitingan to stick with Pakatan.

However, he felt it would be tough for Pakatan to persuade independent-minded people like Jeffrey (right).

"Jeffrey said his party (State Reform Party) wants to contest all the 60 Sabah state seats and four to five Kadasan Dusun majority (parliamentary) seats," the analyst told the audience of about 70 people.

If the State Reform Party went ahead with Jeffrey's plan, this would adversely affect seat allocations among opposition parties seeking one-to-one battles with the BN.

‘Sabah BN turncoats not influential'

The political scientist said the defections by two BN parliamentarians in Sabah recently would not give Pakatan any extra advantage.

"Anwar is trying to use Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin, but I don't think their influence goes beyond Tuaran."

He advised Anwar to pay more attention to local issues to increase Pakatan's chances of winning over Sabah.

In August, Tuaran MP Bumburing and Beaufort MP Lajim quit BN to join Pakatan.

Meanwhile, Penang Institute fellow Wong Chin Huat (left) argued that Umno needed to be prepared to accept defeat in the next general election.

"You (Umno elites) shouldn't aim for no defeat, you should aim for the chance of coming back after defeat," Wong said.

He warned that Umno would lose its credibility, and its legitimacy to win back power in the future, should it continue to practise election fraud.

Speaking to Malaysiakini later, Wong said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was aiming to wrest back at least 141 parliamentary seats and the Selangor government.

Najib needed at least 141 parliamentary seats, he added, to show that he could deliver better than former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when he led Umno, which won only 140 seats in the 2008 general election.

However, Wong argued, Najib was not likely to achieve the targets he hoped for and could even lose his premiership as a result of internal pressure within Umno.

The other panellists who spoke were independent researcher Mavis Puthucheary and HarakahDaily.net editor Zulkifli Sulong. Merdeka Centre programme director Ibrahim Suffian moderated the session.

Sabah IC figure: Home Ministry unsure

By Patrick Lee of Free Malaysia Today

| October 24, 2012

          

The Home Ministry says that many applications for ICs from 1990 to 2005 were done manually, and as such it did not have the exact numbers on hand.

 

KUALA LUMPUR: The government does not yet know how many first-identity cards (IC) have been issued in Sabah over the past 20 years.

In a parliamentary written response, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the ministry had a hard time in getting information in this area.

He was referring to Independent-Tuaran MP Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing, who asked how many ICs had been granted from 1990 until now.

“The ministry wishes to state that before 2006, state Registration Departments (NRD) had their application processes done manually,” Hishammuddin said.

He said that data from the Sabah NRD had to be collected manually, and as such, his ministry needed more time before they could come up with a detailed answer.

He was, however, able to reveal that 43,617 first-ICs or MyKads (for those aged 12 and above), MyPR (permanent resident) and MkKAS (temporary resident) cards had been issued after 2006 until September this year.

Hishammuddin also added that since 1990, those born in Malaysia were required to have and produce their birth certificates when applying for their ICs.

Letters of declarations, he said, were invalid forms of proof.

Allegations have arisen over the years over the issuance of identity cards to illegal immigrants in Malaysia’s easternmost state since the 1990s.

Critics claimed that those who received these cards did so on the condition that they would vote for the Barisan Nasional federal government during later general elections.

Termed as “Project IC”, the move has been a sore point for many local Sabahans, including former BN MPs.

In 1970, Sabah had a population of 651,304. This increased to 1.5 million in 1980 before shooting up to 2.4 million in 2000. By 2010, the state was said to have 3.1 million people.

These details have led Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to look into the matter.

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USE YOUR MOTHER-TONGUE LANGAUGE   LOOKING....Joseph Pairin Kitingan looking at the work done by the KadazanDusun language teachers. DEPUTY Chief Minister, Joseph Pairin Kitingan wants more KadazanDusun language classes to be taught in primary and secondary schools in Sabah. He especially wants the younger KadazanDusun generation to speak in their mother tongue not only in daily conversations but also as a means to preserve their cultural heritage. Pairin, who is also the Minister of Infrastructure Development said that the KadazanDusun Cultural Association (KDCA) and United Sabah Dusun Association (USDA) have decided on the Bundu Liwan language to be used in teaching at schools, after a debate on the status of language to be chosen. However, vocabulary from the KadazanDusun dialect will also be used in the teaching. Pairin said this at the closing ceremony of Kursus Dalam Perkhidmatan Bahasa Kadazandusun Kohot 2012 organised by Bahagian Pendidikan Guru (BPG) of Ministry of Education, Sabah Education Department and Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG) Keningau. Pairin said that so far he is very pleased with the progress of the teaching of the KadazanDusun language in primary schools that was started in 1997. "Our language is our identity. Teaching our mother-tongue in schools will encourage it's usage among our younger generation. However he said that the question of using which dialect in schools should not be debated as many other dialects are used to further enrich the KadazanDusun grammar. Also present at the ceremony were the Director of IPG, Rujinah Miki, the Coordinator of Ethnic and Indigenous Language of Bahagian Pendidikan Guru (BPG) of the Ministry of Education, Norliza Yusof , Kadazan Language Coordinator, Joseph Yabai and IPG Keningau and Kadazan Language Course Coordinator State Department of Education, Sitiamah Sahat. Pairin also supports the idea of establishing a KadazanDusun Language Teachers' Council or Tungkus (Tinimungan Mongingia Boros KadazanDusun) as proposed by a KadazanDusun language instructor. It's mission is to elevate the Kadazandusun language as a language for everyday communication. The council will also serve as an avenue to preserve our national heritage. Meanwhile, Sitiamah Sahat the Kadazan Language Course Coordinator of the State Department of Education said, as of now, 861 primary schools and 100 secondary schools in Sabah have made the KadazanDusun language part of the subjects taught in schools. 368 primary school teachers and 37 secondary school teachers are involved in teaching the language. A total of 25 teachers for the second intake of the KadazanDusun Language course from across the state have completed their 6 months training and received their certificates at the ceremony at IPG Keningau. (Insight Sabah)

‘We’re united,’ says KDM lawyer

By Joseph Bingkasan in Free Malaysia Today

| October 22, 2012

There is no disunity among the KadazanDusuns but what exists are Barisan Nasional leaders who want to divide and rule.

KOTA KINABALU: Darell Leiking, a young Kadazandusun lawyer from Penampang, believes his community can be a force to be reckoned with in the coming general elections and an indication of this is coming from Barisan Nasional leaders who are worried the tide has turned against them ahead of the 13th general election.
“We are not disunited racially or religiously. We are united. Tagging the community as disunited because they do not see eye to eye in political ideology is a false notion,” said the man who wants to take his community in a new political direction.
The PKR national deputy secretary-general and supreme council member is among leaders in Sabah heading the Pakatan Rakyat coalition challenge against the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in Penampang in the impending general election.
Penampang is considered part of the heartland of the Kadazandusuns and wresting the seat from the BN would be a body blow for the ruling coalition.
Addressing concerns that his community is split into too many factions, he said the blame can be placed at the door of a few political leaders who were once united under a common political banner but went their separate ways to stay in power.
In a chance meeting at a coffee shop last week, the 41-year-old UK-trained lawyer confided that his community is in fact as united as it was in the past about championing Sabah’s rights as a partner in the formation of Malaysia and not just one of the 13 states in the federation as it is now.
Touted as a possible PKR candidate for the Penampang MP seat, he said he is not concerned about who is finally selected by the coalition.
“PKR is hopeful to represent Pakatan Rakyat for Penampang. However, my personal position is that my division and I will support any candidate from any of our (Pakatan) partners should PKR not be given this seat,” he said .
Whoever is chosen will up against a formidable foe in the form of current Penampang MP is Federal Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Bernard Dompok, who is the president of the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko).

Political leaders to blame
Leiking does not see this as a big hurdle even though Pakatan is tapping the same Kadazandusuns who voted in favour of the BN in the last election.
His argument is that most of the ruling coalition and their party members today were once united under a single political banner (Parti Bersatu Sabah) to fight for Sabah’s rights.
He said though PBS leader Joseph Pairin Kitingan and his former colleagues in the party like Joseph Kurup and Dompok are now presidents of different political parties and have split the Kadazandusun vote, they cannot say the community is solidly behind them.
He accused the entrenched crop of political leaders as being out of touch with the community.
Leiking said Kadazandusun leaders must take full responsibility for the community’s political displacement and weaker position as they had ignored the spirit of 1985 that united the people of Sabah purely to prolong their political life.
“Their two-dozen or so years as elected representatives is just a wee bit too long for us. It’s a political fact,” he said of the claimed burgeoning support for the opposition.
“Imagine 27 years of political decisions being made for us and little to show how we’ve benefitted.
“Some of these politicians are now blaming us for being divided but these same leaders have even had the audacity to redefine the Kadazandusuns by religion.
“We are Kadazans and Dusuns regardless of our beliefs and this we should all defend so that we shall never be displaced. We must embrace that our race is unique with many faiths and with a special place as natives of Sabah.
“No religion should ever divide our race,” he said.
Sabahans now bolder
The problem, he said, was the mutual respect that was always present in Sabah was slowly being eroded by the failure of politicians who were either ignorant or afraid to challenge one-sided policies that had taken a toll on the social makeup of the state.
“We should take responsibility to seek help and find solutions to those issues. It is reciprocal and I believe when we do this, the mutual respect will be reasserted,” he said.
Leiking also noted that Sabahans were also no longer afraid to shout out their disappointment over the failure to fulfil promises pledged during the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.
He said, people had forgotten that while Sabahans have changed the state government several times, the federal government had remained the same and this had handicapped them since the formation of Malaysia.
“The prime minister may have changed but the regime remains the same. Our Sabah government may have changed on four occasions but the political leaders and players remain the same,” he noted.
Pakatan, he said, has given voters an opportunity for change at the very top.
“This is why it is obvious and we must take part … we cannot miss this opportunity in the general elections.
“What we need now is to have that same desire for change but the only difference is, there is now a national party that we can converge this force of change so that we will honour that desire that we have been deprived off for so long.”
Leiking disagreed with the idea that only a ‘local based party’ or ‘parti tempatan’ was the best choice to lead Sabah.
“Myself and many others from Sabah are members of PKR or DAP or PAS (Pakatan’s component parties). It would be insulting to say that being in a national-based party, one would be any less a Sabahan. I am in PKR and I am a Sabahan.
“As a national leader in the party, I also make decisions on the party matters concerning a member or division in Johor, Malacca, Selangor and other states. That is progress in this partnership.”

Orang Asli ditahan perjuang hak tanah mereka

Oleh K Pragalath di Freemalaysiatoday.com

| October 19, 2012

          

Penahanan dibuat selepas mesyarat Exco Pahang memutuskan untuk pindahkan masyarakat Asli dari kawasan pembangunan Koridor Pembangunan Wilayah Timur.

PETALING JAYA: Dua Orang Asli ditahan semalam selepas mesyuarat Exco Pahang memutuskan untuk memindahkan Orang Asli dari kawasan yang dikenal pasti untuk tujuan pembangunan.
Keputusan tersebut dibuat berikutan himpunan 500 Orang Asli dari Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Pahang (JKOAP) yang berhimpun pada hari Rabu menuntut hak tanah adat di hadapan pejabat Menteri Besar Pahang Datuk Sri Adnan Yaakob.
Bagaimanapun, keesokan harinya dua Orang Asli – On Kon 30, dan Musa Lateh 40 dari Kampung Tanam Rompin ditahan oleh polis dari Ibu Pejabat Polis daerah (IPD) Rompin di atas tuduhan mengganggu pekerja kontrak Koridor Pembangunan Wilayah Timur (ECER).
Menurut mereka berdua, pihak polis berniat menahan seorang Orang Asli lain, Moriol Libak, tetapi tidak dikesan dan menahan mereka berdua sebagai ganti.
Moriol merupakan antara anggota Orang Asli yang kehilangan tanah akibat daripada projek pembangunan ECER.

`Dua kesalahan’
Ekoran penahanan On dan Musa, satu perhimpunan dibuat oleh masyarakat Orang Asli di hadapan IPD. Kedua -dua mereka kemudiannya dibebaskan semalam.
Menurut peguam mereka Mohd Fadzly Mohd Ramly, On dan Musa dikehendaki melaporkan diri di IPD Rompin dalam tempoh sebulan namun tidak menghadapi sebarang dakwaan.
“Kalau mereka nak dakwa cuma sekarang ini mereka di tuduh di bawah dua kesalahan. Kesalahan pertama ialah mendatangkan ancaman jenayah.
“Kesalahan yang kedua ialah menceroboh tanah kerajaan. Sepatutnya mereka (pemaju) yang didakwa kerana menceroboh tanah Orang Asli,” kata Fadzly.
Tanah masyarakat orang Asli mula diambil sejak tahun 2010 setelah projek ECER dimulakan.
Bagaimanapun tanah tersebut tidak digazetkan sebagai tanah adat Orang Asli.

Sabah rights: ‘Stop lying, Najib’

By Calvin Kabaron of Free Malaysia Today

| October 16, 2012

          

Najib Tun Razak should learn to view Malaysia and the federal government from the perspective of Sabahans and not as an Umno leader, says opposition STAR.

 

 

KOTA KINABALU: The State Reform Party (STAR) is stunned by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s claim that Sabah’s rights and autonomy have not been usurped by the federal government and that they remain intact.

 

The party’s Sabah chapter chairman, Jeffrey Kitingan, said the prime minister was either ignorant or being crafty by claiming Sabah’s rights had not been diminished in any way after the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

 

“How can the prime minister say that Sabah’s rights have not been taken away when it is very clear that from its position as an equal partner with Malaya in 1963, Sabah is now downgraded to become the 12th state and its Umno-BN state leaders are subservient to Umno-KL leaders?” asked Jeffrey.

 

He said that it was the manoeuvring of peninsula-based Umno and federal leaders that had resulted in Sabah being made a de facto colony of Malaya and Umno-BN leaders treating Sabah as their “fixed deposit” and treating Sabahans with disrespect.

 

Sabahans, he said, lost their political independence and rights when Umno manoeuvred itself into Sabah and misguided Usno (United Sabah National Organisation) into handing over power to its proxies and stooges.

 

“Sabahans further lost their rights to determine their own future through the evil ‘Project IC’ during [former premier] Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s administration which also resulted in illegal immigrants being given ICs and voting rights.

 

“The reverse ethnic cleansing through these illegal immigrants has affected true Sabahans in every aspect and yet the federal government has been dragging its feet on the RCI [Royal Commission of Inquiry].

 

“To top it all, under Umno-BN’s rule, Sabah is now the poorest state in Malaysia which accounts for 40% of all the poor in Malaysia,” he said, adding that the federal government had also taken over all revenue collection in the state.

 

“What is RM32 million for schools and RM132 million for infrastructures for Sabah when Sabah contributes about RM15 billion oil revenue annually to Petronas and for 2011, the federal government collected about RM22.7 billion in federal taxes and revenue from Sabah excluding other collections?

 

“The Immigration Department alone collected about RM200 million from Sabah for 2011. The federal government took away the right of the Sabah state [government] to collect its own revenue when Point 11 of the 20-Point Agreement was not implemented.

 

“Point 11 reads: ‘Sabah [North Borneo] should have control of its own finance, development funds and tariffs’,” he said.

 

Borneonise civil service

 

According to him, the revenue from Sabah’s oil and gas has been unfairly taken from Sabah when the prime minister’s father, Abdul Razak Hussein, in 1975 signed an order granting ownership of Sabah’s oil and gas resources to Petronas.

 

“If the prime minister means what he says, he should immediately rescind the vesting order and hand back the oil and gas resources to Sabah.

 

“Since 1975, Sabah’s oil revenue has been channelled to Malaya via Petronas to develop the Malayan states at the expense of Sabah.

 

“Recently, this was acknowledged by Najib himself in Sarawak that for 49 years, Sabah and Sarawak had contributed their revenues towards the development of Malaya,” he said.

 

According to Jeffrey, who gained a doctorate at the prestigious Harvard University, it was also well known and agreed at the outset of the formation of Malaysia in 1963 that “Borneonisation” of the Sabah civil service would take place immediately, but this was not honoured and civil servants from the peninsula, some not even experienced or qualified for the job, took over senior posts in government after the British left.

 

He said that even now, after 49 years, it was clear that the federal government had become the new colonial master and taken over almost all the key positions in the federal civil service in Sabah.

 

“The problem is compounded by the duplicating roles of federal agencies in Sabah to the extent that they usurped the roles of Sabah agencies. These federal agencies have even deemed it appropriate to import their staff, even junior staff, from the peninsula and marginalised Sabahans.

 

“It is all part of a devious scheme to control and make Sabah a colony of Malaya and Umno,” he said.

 

Manipulations by Mahathir

 

Jeffrey argued that the situation became worse for Sabah from 1965 when Singapore was kicked out of Malaysia.

 

The federal government, he said, through various schemes, manipulated the situation to secure 75% control of the federal Parliament when it was agreed in 1963 that Malaya would not have more than 65% of the parliamentary seats as a constitutional safeguard for Sabah and Sarawak.

 

The realignment of power in 1965 allowed the Umno federal government to make Sabah the 12th state in the nation and subservient to Malaya, he added.

 

“Even during Usno’s early days, Umno sent its advisers; it could not be said that whatever Usno did was purely its own doing.

 

“During Berjaya’s tenure, Sabah lost Labuan and its oil revenue. The then chief minister [Harris Salleh] seemed more interested in trying to please the federal government so as to achieve the political ambition of overthrowing Mustapha [Harun].

 

“During the PBS era, Mahathir showed his dictatorial side in sidelining the PBS government which was democratically elected by the people and even stopped Pairin [Kitingan] from being sworn in as the legitimate chief minister.

 

“Mahathir also induced the jumping of PBS elected representatives that caused the downfall of the PBS government and used his dictatorial powers to put his opponents in jail under the draconian ISA,” said Jeffrey, the younger brother of current deputy chief minister Joseph Pairin.

 

He reminded Najib that the rotation system of the chief minister was then introduced against the Sabah constitution to induce and later trap the other BN leaders while, at the same time, gerrymandering the electoral boundaries to create additional seats for Umno and make it the single largest Barisan Nasional coalition component with 32 out of 60 seats.

 

“With the Project IC then at its height, the takeover of Sabah by the federal Umno government was complete.

 

“Why is the prime minister turning a blind eye to these testimonies of loss of Sabah’s rights?” he asked.

 

No religious freedom

 

Jeffrey also touched on the loss of religious freedom in Sabah.

 

Jeffrey, who was jailed under the Internal Security Act (ISA) during Mahathir’s time for speaking up on Sabah’s rights, also reminded Najib and Umno that freedom of religion was guaranteed by Point No 1 of the 20-Point Agreement as well as the Batu Sumpah (Oath Stone) in Keningau.

 

“The fact that Sabahans today no longer enjoy freedom of religion clearly suggests that they have been robbed of this right.

 

“In addition, there is a steady creeping in of the ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ policy where new imported Malays are accorded better rights than the original indigenous natives, many of whom are Muslims,” he said.

 

Jeffrey also said that if Najib is correct in his claim that Sabah had received development and progress similar to its counterparts in Malaya, then surely Sabah would be one of the richest states in Malaysia, if not the richest.

 

“If the prime ministere had only opened his eyes to his surroundings when officiating at the ground-breaking ceremony of the Native Court Training Institute building and the opening of the bridge at Padang Pagansakan in Penampang, he would notice that the development of the surrounding areas including roads, bridges and other infrastructure is not on par with the peninsular states.

 

“And that is only 10 miles from Kota Kinabalu city centre. He should then imagine how much below par is the development status in the other areas, especially in the interiors like far-flung Pensiangan,” he said.

 

“Or better still, he should travel by road instead of helicopter to see for himself the status of development in Sabah,” Jeffrey added, taking a swipe at Najib for travelling around the state by air.

 

Malaysia is not 55

 

Touching on the federal stand that Malaysia is 55 years old, Jeffrey said by insisting Malaysia is 55 years old now and not 49, the federal government is propagating the worst lie to the people of Sabah, Sarawak and Malaysia as a whole.

 

“What is the motive of the Umno federal government in manipulating the facts of history? The prime minister should restore Sabah’s rights and not lie anymore.

 

“He should learn how to view Malaysia and the federal government from the perspective of Sabahans and not just from the top as an Umno leader with a Malayan Agenda,” he said.

 

“Sabah has lost a lot since agreeing to form Malaysia in 1963 and suffered a great deal due to the manipulations and policies of the Umno federal government in the name of national integration; the federal government of Malaya has ruled the state in the guise of the federal government of Malaysia.

 

“There was never a genuine partnership for Sabah in Malaysia.

 

“The federal government has disrespected the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the autonomy and rights of Sabah. After 49 years of an unequal partnership and treatment, Sabahans are now clamouring for the restoration of their rights and autonomy,” Jeffrey said, adding that the prime minister and the federal government should stop treating Sabahans as fools.

 

Taking a swipe at Najib’s Budget 2013, he said it was nothing to shout about for Sabahans. “Sabahans deserve more than 1Malaysia water tanks and BRIMs.

 

“What the prime minister can and should do, if he truly wants to make a difference… is to restore the rights and autonomy of Sabah and the status of Sabah as an equal partner to Malaya… and to treat Sabahans with respect and dignity,” he said

BN feigning unity in Sabah

By Joseph Bingkasan of Free Malaysia Today

| October 15, 2012

          

Sabah Umno, which already has a giant share of the state and parliamentary seats, is greedy and wants more.

 

KOTA KINABALU: As the countdown to the 13th general election edges towards a fixed date, the ruling coalition is showing signs of strain with bigger parties attempting to muscle in on the turf of their smaller partners.

 

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) joined the queue lobbying to take over candidacy for the Pensiangan MP seat or one of the two state seats – Nabawan and Sook – in the parliamentary constituency.

 

The problem is, the Pensiangan MP seat is now held by federal Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Joseph Kurup who helms Barisan Nasional coalition partner Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).

 

It is well known that there is little love lost between PBS and PBRS and now the frayed threads that hold the Umno-led ruling coalition are being exposed once again as they always are before an election.

To gain a higher profile in the state assembly, PBS headed by Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan is also laying claim to another state seat that comes under the Keningau parliamentary constituency.

 

Pairin is Keningau MP as well as Tambunan state assembly representative. The two other state seats within his parliamentary constituency, Liawan and Bingkor, are shared by Umno and PBS spin-off, the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko).

 

Sairin Karno of Umno is the Liawan representative and Upko’s Justin Guka sits in Bingkor so based on the coalition’s power structure, Guka’s seat is the target as PBS plays second fiddle to Umno in any realignment of seat allocation in that parliamentary constituency.

 

Over in Pensiangan, the state seats of Nabawan and Sook are held by Bobby Ah Fang Suan of Upko and Ellron Angin of PBRS respectively. Here PBRS is in PBS crosshairs.

 

The problem is Kurup who won the MP seat uncontested in the 2008 election is the sole MP from the party while Angin is the only assemblyman for the party in the 60-members State Legislative Assembly.

 

PBS’s demand for the extra seats came during the annual general meetings of the PBS divisions of Pensiangan, Sook, Bingkor and Liawan recently.

 

The calls were made with the full support of Pairin, and the motions were quickly endorsed by him as logical as he said the constituencies were traditionally the stronghold of his party

since it was formed in 1985.

 

In fact PBS controlled almost all the state and parliamentary seats until Pairin’s government, then in the opposition, was toppled by the BN in 1994 when it won just 25 of the 48 state assembly seats.

 

Umno showing claws

 

The party’s elected representatives, seeing the writing on the wall, jumped ship as a matter of political survival.

 

Kurup was among them. He ditched PBS to form PBRS. Other formed new political or joined Umno.

 

PBS delegates of the Pensiangan and Sook divisions under the leadership of former MP Bernard Maraat have long memories and want the party to be given at least one of the two seats in the next election.

 

However, another shark in the form of Umno is circling.

 

The main component in the ruling coalition which already has the giant share of state and parliamentary seats in Sabah, registered its intention to make a bid to takeover the Pensiangan constituency or one of the state seats under its jurisdiction.

 

Kurup responded to the implied threat that should he be dropped, BN could expect an exodus of PBRS members out to support the opposition in the election.

 

Maraat, on the other hand announced that if the seat was given to Umno to contest, he would offer to contest as a BN-friendly independent candidate.

 

Bingkor PBS division chief Peter Jino Allion has claimed that the party is far more established in the constituency compared with other BN component parties whose weakness was demonstrated by a decline in votes in the past two elections.

 

He said the BN leadership should not underestimate the opposition in Bingkor.

 

However, he was careful to be respectful to Umno saying: “Bingkor PBS will support any BN candidate who contested and would ensure the victory of the candidate.”

 

He suggested that the BN leadership appoint party leaders in Bingkor and Liawan – who are not selected as candidates – as a senator or an appointed member of the state legislative assembly to strengthen PBS under Pairin’s leadership.

 

Cut-throat politics

 

His proposal however is all nonsense according to political pundits familiar with Sabah’s post-1994 election tactics and the cut-throat world of Sabah politics.

 

“They (party leaders) are trying to keep every one in line by promising them rewards if they don’t get to contest seats in the election.

 

“They have to keep making way for others and everyone knows an elected position is a money-spinner. They all want their share of the pie,” said one former BN supporter who requested anonymity

 

PBS, whose traditional support-base is shaky is also worried that BN’s much hyped ‘Janji Ditepati’ (Promises Fulfilled) slogan has not gone down well in Sabah.

 

Allion said as much when he asked that all projects approved by the government be implemented before the 13th general election.

 

Such is the fear that the party and the BN may not do as well in the coming election.

 

Party leaders have also called on their members to quit NGOs that have criticised the government and coalition leaders.

 

“Members of the party and BN must defend their leaders by leaving these NGOs and struggle alongside their parties,” Allion said recently.

 

With Pairin’s image tarnished since rejoining the BN and Umno (his once bitter foe) even his position as PBS president has come under attack and senior party leaders who know they lack credibility without the community’s Huguan Siou (Paramaount Chief) are running scared.

 

Meanwhile, Liawan PBS division deputy head, Zachary Kinsik, has proposed the tried and tested BN candidate quota system be scrapped altogether, a suggestion first made by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

 

He also said that the number of seats held by Umno should be reduced as recommended by former premier Mahathir Mohamed and that the distribution of seats and power sharing should be fair and transparent.

Whither PBS without Pairin?

By Raymond Tombung HERE http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com

 

 | October 15, 2012

          

Was PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan’s decision to announce his retirement at this juncture a calculated, tactical move?

COMMENT

 

Joseph Pairin Kitingan has finally mentioned the near-taboo word – retirement! If all these years he had allayed fears among his Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) members that he was leaving the political scene, this time he said it quite clearly that he was retiring after the 13th general election when his term expires.

 

Now that the proverbial cat is already out of the bag, much speculation and many questions are being raised with regard to PBS’s future without him.

 

PBS is facing the stark reality of being a party without the founding giant to lead it.

Most political observers would openly admit that PBS’ future looked very different without Pairin at the helm.

 

Some may even ask if there is any PBS future to talk about because in the tradition of Sabah’s politics, Pairin is PBS and PBS is Pairin, just like Harris (Salleh) was Berjaya and Usno was Mustapha (Harun).

 

The idea of a Pairin-less PBS is, honestly, still “unthinkable”. In fact, to talk of PBS without Pairin simply doesn’t make sense.

 

This may be a case in which the old adage “nobody is indispensable” will be proven wrong again.

The suspense and trepidation gripping PBS now is palpable, even to those who are not in the party.

 

A heap of questions are coming out: What now? Who is going to replace Pairin when he is irreplaceable? What kind of future can PBS talk about, or even imagine, without the big guy?

 

The natural choice for replacement, in accordance with party hierarchy, is Maximus Ongkili. But will Ongkili be able to hold the party together?

 

Will party members be able or willing to make the paradigm shift that Ongkili will surely usher in with his own brand of philosophy, style and strategy?

 

What new, unseen forces will emerge to challenge him and destabilise the party? Or with the uncertainty prevailing on many fronts, will there be a power struggle?

Of course, PBS’ relevance is not wholly centred on Pairin alone, but also on the outcome of the the national polls.

 

How many seats can PBS retain in the coming election? What if BN’s foothold slides further, if not in Sabah, then in the Peninsula? Or what if BN’s seats are increased but PBS’ seats are significantly reduced?

 

Political misstep?

 

There can also be serious polemics on whether Pairin should have announced his retirement so early.

 

Why did he let the cat out of the bag so long before the GE13 is expected to be held?

Wouldn’t it have been a lot better to be silent on the issue until after the election is over?

 

Political observers think that whatever politicians, especially the veterans, say or do are well-thought-out strategic moves with subtle gambits, but this is mostly not true.

 

Politicians make mistakes all the time, such as shooting in the dark, putting their foot into their mouths, taking steps into political holes, or worse, explosive mines.

 

In the case of Pairin’s decision to announce his retirement at this juncture, one may presume it must have been a calculated, tactical move since Pairin is no greenhorn in politics.

 

But it is not easy to pinpoint what this tactical move could be.

 

What we can see is that it may have been a misstep for several reasons:

• it has brought down morale and caused trepidation among PBS members (with the PBS Keningau Youth already saying Pairin’s leadership is still needed);
• it has given a morale boost to his opponents, most importantly his brother Jeffrey and his State Reform Party (STAR);
• it has caused confusion among PBS leaders who are now facing members’ hard questions about the party’s future; and
• it has somewhat eroded the (future) relevance of the party within and without the BN.

Was ‘retirement’ a strategy?

 

One may also believe, or assume positively, that Pairin did it all for the purpose of gaining sympathy votes from his and PBS’ constituents.

 

He most likely wants to let them know that this is his last round in the game. He likely wants to make them feel they should give him their support for the last time, as their last respect and final farewell gesture.

 

But this may not necessarily work because there is also the other side of the coin.

Many may feel he should retire sooner, thus ushering in a change immediately after the election.

 

Recently, the Keningau Amanah deputy chairman Victor Leonardus had urged Pairin to step down from politics and give the younger generation a chance in the 13th general election, lest he suffers defeat and affect his status as the “huguan siou” (paramount leader).

 

So far only a few senior PBS leaders had reacted to this announcement, perhaps because they are still trying to get their bearings amidst their confusion and sadness.

 

Firstly, it is not something they should support, but not something they should strongly oppose either because of Pairin’s age. Pairin is 72 years old.

 

Secondly, it is a bad idea to over-react to it in the media lest the situation is made worse with conflicting statements.

 

Such over-reactions would betray PBS’ own fears, instability and weakness.

 

So PBS is clearly in a serious dilemma about it, hence the safest statement: “We still need his leadership” had been said, more out of politeness than anything else.

 

Whether the senior leaders of PBS like it or not, they must face the hard truth that PBS will be without Pairin within four or five years, if not sooner.

 

PBS ideology lost in today’s world

 

It is a strange feeling to try to fathom the depth of such a loss, to imagine the enormity of such a change, or to predict the frightful weight of the void, the emptiness, that is sure to come.

 

And nobody knows exactly what the consequences will be.

Of course, the most important question is: will PBS be able to reinvent itself to keep, or increase, the momentum of its struggle?

 

The most believable answer is the often heard vehement “no!”

“No political party in the history of Sabah had ever done that. Once the founding leader goes, it is downhill all the way.”

 

It’s hard to swallow that even with Pairin in the party today, the influence of PBS had waned so much, so imagine what it will be like without him.

The party had managed to sustain until today not in spite of Pairin but because of Pairin. So no matter how one looks at it, the prognosis is not good.

 

Many factors in fact had led to this scenario.

 

The party had not done enough to groom new leaders, and some say it had diverted from its original struggle, and attempts to justify its ideologies in recent years seemed to have fallen mostly on deaf ears.

 

But most importantly, time had caught up with PBS, overwhelming it with new ideas.

The world has moved on and PBS has been left behind.

 

Window of opportunity for Jeffrey

 

Political ideologies had shifted radically to make many concepts of the 1980s no longer valid.

 

Many groups are seen to have overstayed their welcome, many faces have become too familiar, and old oft-repeated speeches have become bland, tasteless, or plain monotonous.

When Pairin announced his plan to retire, he said: “So, people will be happylah!”

 

Was he hinting at his younger brother Jeffrey, who would now have a freer hand in taking over the Keningau parliamentary seat or the Tambunan state assembly seat,which he is contenting in the 13th general election?

 

Maybe the takeover of Keningau will happen a lot sooner than GE14 with rumour mills saying it is very possible Pairin will opt out of the race for the constituency in GE13.

 

Whatever happens it is clear that since Pairin announced his retirement, change had already swept over Keningau and over the whole atmosphere in PBS.

 

Pairin has now suddenly become a lame duck president, assemblyman and MP