Someone in Sabah said Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s Warisan is a “one-off party” made up of “frustrated people”, and therefore, should be dissolved.
He thinks PPBM must come in and save Sabah from Warisan kind of politics of being unable to satisfy members, supporters and allies, including the Kadazan Dusun Murud (KDM).
He said these people got nothing from Warisan and they are frustrated. As a result they are impeding the growth of the party.
He went on to question Warisan’s refusal to join PH as a full member, saying this had made Sabah powerless in terms of federal politics.
“A national party like PPBM is different. If Sabah has PPBM, we can decide who can become the prime minister because we have a say,” he was quoted as saying.
It’s not hard to see where all this lamentation is leading to. This someone, once Sabah PKR deputy information chief – don’t know why he no longer is – wants a return to the politics before last May 9.
No, no point disputing what he said about the weakness in Warisan or about people being unhappy because Warisan is not able to give what they want.
Sabah politics has always been too fluid and unpredictable. Today you may be the chief minister, and tomorrow you could be the governor. Or you could even be a jailbird.
So what is good for Warisan? What is it for the people? What is it for the state assemblymen and MPs? No one really knows, which is why jumping party is not strange.
Today it’s Warisan. Before May 9 it was Umno. And before that it was a little bit of this and that, with everybody having a brief feel of power on rotation basis. It does seem the wheel of change just keeps turning in Sabah.
Yes, it is like saying politics is not about the people but about what your party can do for you the politician, and in the case of Warisan, since it is incapable of satisfying its members, it’s time to change party!
Or as he said and intimated, dissolve Warisan, then join PPBM because PPBM will be able to do what Warisan cannot do, which is to satisfy members. Really?
Besides, joining PPBM will give Sabahans a say in determining who gets to be PM. But is that so? Did anybody become PM because Sabah said so in the past when they were part of the federal government, unlike Warisan now?
But there is this bit where this former PKR Sabah information chief is totally off the mark.
He said, “Look at Sarawak. PBB has been there for so long, but what can they do? Nothing. They only talk a lot.”
Firstly, PBB does not rule Sarawak alone like Warisan does in Sabah. From day one, PBB has been operating within a coalition, therefore its achievement is not exclusive to the party.
Even so, on its own PBB is a successful party no matter how or on what basis you measure it. Since the day Penghulu Tawie was made chief minister, PBB has continued to lead the state government of Sarawak until now, which speaks volume of its success.
On the other hand, over the same period, Sabah was led by chief ministers from at least half a dozen parties – Usno, Berjaya, PBS, PBRS, SAPP and Umno – it does not take a political expert to deduce if PBB is or isn’t more successful compared to these parties.
Now, to put the record straight, before May 9 Sarawak was governed by BN Sarawak; after May 9 it’s Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
GPS will be officially launched on Jan 19. The coalition had only recently unveiled its logo for all Sarawakians to know what the coalition stands for, therefore to say that PBB only talked but achieved nothing just does not arise simply because PBB is not GPS; neither is GPS, PBB.
Yes, PBB was and still is the dominant party but it rules on a power-sharing basis with PRS, SUPP and PDP – including GPS-friendly UPP.
The coalition means no one party talks and acts in isolation. Today what PBB, PRS, SUPP and PDP need to do they do via GPS.
Right now, GPS is not interested in having a say in deciding who should be Malaysia’s PM. It is just too small to be doing that.
But GPS is certainly not too small to be determining the future of Sarawak the way it thinks best.
If you are not a fan of GPS, you have many reasons to be envious.
If you are not a Sarawakian, you have every reason to be envious.
