TOP Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership has reportedly stepped in to intervene in a bid to mitigate escalating disputes within Sabah UMNO regarding its strategic direction leading up to the upcoming state election.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah analyst Lee Kuok Tiung pointed out the contentious rifts within Sabah UMNO, which emerged following Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s announcement in December of an alliance with Sabah UMNO.
This alliance proposal was swiftly dismissed by Sabah UMNO deputy chief Datuk Seri Rahman Dahlan, sparking internal discord.
Moreover, Shafie’s claim of an alliance between Sabah UMNO and Warisan purportedly to challenge Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), was contradicted by the actions of key Sabah UMNO figures, notably Sabah UMNO chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
The conflicting statements fuelled speculation over a potential formal alliance between Sabah UMNO and Warisan.
“(The top BN leadership stepping in) was actually a surprise because, previously, they announced that they had given autonomy to Sabah BN,” FreeMalaysiaToday quoted Lee as saying.
“In the end, it actually hints that there is something not right (in Sabah Umno). It means that the federal leadership does not endorse (the partnership with Warisan). Suddenly, they’re saying that they will decide, not the Sabah chapter.”
Lee suggested that the intervention of the federal BN leadership hints at underlying tensions within Sabah UMNO.
Despite previous assertions of autonomy granted to Sabah BN, the federal leadership’s involvement suggests a centralised decision-making process, potentially signalling a lack of endorsement for the partnership with Warisan by the federal leadership.
The internal divide within Sabah UMNO is traced back to Bung Moktar’s failed attempt, dubbed the “Kinabalu Move,” to unseat Hajiji as chief minister last year.
“After the ‘Kinabalu Move’, Sabah UMNO was divided into Bung’s group and (Sabah) deputy chief minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya’s group,” he added.
Shahelmey and several other Sabah assemblymen refused to retract their support for Hajiji, leading to their suspension from UMNO. Despite this, Hajiji appointed Shahelmey as deputy chief minister, further complicating the internal dynamics of Sabah UMNO.
The recent statement by BN deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan asserting that the federal BN leadership will have the final say on Sabah BN’s electoral strategy, underscores the central authority’s role in navigating the factional disputes within the party.
On the other hand, Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs suggested that BN’s intervention reflects reluctance to collaborate with Warisan considering it a splinter party of Sabah UMNO.
“The federal leadership is still very much somehow affiliated with former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who fired Shafie from the Cabinet in 2015 before Shafie quit UMNO.
“It is more than likely that UMNO’s central leadership may not be as enthusiastic about working with Warisan (due to that), than concerns over antagonising GRS.”
However, Oh further added that UMNO working with Warisan would avoid splitting their votes among themselves, thus preventing both parties from “cannibalising” each other at the polls. – March 29, 2024
