It is a fine game to play – the game of politics – and it is well worth waiting for a good hand before really plunging.
– Winston Churchill, Britain’s war-time PM
No, it wasn’t me who described the current political upheaval in Sabah as a “game”. It was Sabah Umno chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin who used the term on Sunday.
A defiant Bung Moktar declared to the press in Kota Kinabalu that the “game is still on” despite Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor’s announcement that day that he could continue in office with the support of 44 state assemblymen.
While “politics is also a game” is considered a common metaphor, it also signals in a way what is actually in the mind of the speaker and possibly, his apathy of a subject as serious as politics. No one should be surprised that it came from a character as colourful as the Sabah politician.
On Hajiji’s claim of majority support, Bung said: “Of course, he has 44 (state assemblymen backing him), those are my people. He corrupted all my men. But it is okay.”
Last Friday, Sabah BN – which has 17 seats – withdrew support from the state government, citing a breach of trust whereby the coalition would support Hajiji’s leadership in exchange for positions in the cabinet and government-linked companies.
This was after Hajiji axed Datuk Salleh Said Keruak as Qhazanah Sabah chairperson, with further plans to reshuffle the state cabinet.
Allow me to dissect two key points from Bung Moktar’s words and actions.
Firstly, he had accused Hajiji of bribing five Umno assemblymen who did not agree with his (Bung’s) decision to withdraw support for the chief minister.
Bribing is corruption and this is a serious allegation against the chief minister of a state in which Bung is still legally serving as deputy chief minister.
In other words, Bung is saying that his boss, the chief minister, is corrupt. It also means that the Sabah government must also be corrupt if the accusation by the Number Two man in the government is to be believed.
The trouble with Bung is that he is not one who is careful with his choice of words befitting his status as a MP and minister. It seems that he is unable to control himself and plunges into an emotional wreck every time he is challenged and gets the jitters.
Who could forget Bung Moktar, the Kinabatangan MP and the first legislator to use the four-letter expletive in the Dewan Rakyat?
That ‘fame’ alone when he flew into a rage momentarily was enough to thwart his ascension in the Umno hierarchy, and rightly so. Uncouth politicians who use foul language have no place in our august chambers.
Now Bung is eyeing the chief minister’s post. I don’t think anyone in his right mind, save for Bung’s supporters, would agree on the man’s suitability for the top job in Sabah. On top of it all, Bung also has a corruption charge pending in court.
The second point is Bung’s claim that Hajiji had reneged on his promise to give positions in the cabinet and government-linked companies to Umno/BN.
Bung might not have realised it but he had unknowingly tell the whole world the “truth” – that politics is all about the quest for important and lucrative posts in the government.
If that is his top reason for withdrawing Sabah Umno’s support, that is the least most acceptable justification for doing so. It’s like saying “no cabinet, GLCs posts, we get out”. It’s all about self-serving interests, isn’t it? What happened to the much-hyped “service for the people”?
I doubt I’m way off to state that Sabah’s political fortunes will not change for the better if the same old players are still around playing the same messy game.
Other than Bung, two other former chief ministers, Salleh Said Keruak and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal plus Peter Anthony’s KDM, are also involved in the latest crisis. They are perceived as the ‘bad guys’ this round.
Shafie, considered one of Sabah’s more moderate Muslim leaders in recent times, has also unfortunately been dragged into this current mess which he surely does not need. But can’t blame him, really; Shafie was also forced out of office in 2020. Now, he probably thinks it’s payback time!
Don’t be surprised that other notable Sabah figures like Tan Sri Musa Aman, his brother, Datuk Anifah Aman, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia and others are also waiting to pounce at any given opportunity for a comeback. As long as they are healthy and alive, expect them to be around the political scene in Sabah.
However, one thing is clear in this latest power struggle. The majority of Sabahans are tired and exhausted by these shenanigans. They want to get on with their lives.
The business community look forward to new investments and the creation of more jobs. They want Sabah to be a land of opportunity run by a stable government.
Whatever Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s formula to appease the warring factions in Sabah might be, uppermost in his mind has to be the people’s interests first – that is, they want a stable government and for now, they are generally happy with the Hajiji Noor administration.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
