Raymond Tan playing politics

Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah (pix), who is now without a party after ditching Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), is now saying that his priority is not forming a new political party but to get back the `lost' support for Barisan Nasional (BN) back to the coalition.

"If SAPP's action to pull out caused the people not supporting BN, to get back the supports is more important than forming a new political party," he told the Press in Kota Kinabalu yesterday. SAPP headed by ex-Chief Minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee quit BN on Sept 17. Tan, who was one of the party's three deputy president, did not follow Yong.

On Oct 6, 2008 Tan, who is Tanjong Papat Assemblyman was reported to have to have submitted to the Registrar of Society (ROS) in Kuala Lumpur application to register a new political party. Once registered, the new party will be applying to join BN.

Tan was said to have submitted at least five names for the new party for the ROS to scrutinise. The party will likely be registered as Sabah United Party (Parti Perpaduan Sabah).

In view of Tan's latest reaction to the Press on latest development of his political platform, it seems that getting his SUP's registered is still a problem or he could be joining an existing Sabah-based BN component party.

The other former SAPP Assemblyman who is without a party is Au Kam Wah (Elopura). Like Tan, Au is also from Sandakan. Although both are now not a memebr of any political party, they had declared supports and to stay put in BN's fold.

Pasok going for broke

Sabah-based opposition party, PASOK, which had last year announced that the party will contest in all constituencies, today decided against doing so due to lack of fund to finance their election campaign.

Its President, John Richard Jayasuria, said as for now the party will only confirmed contesting in five seats. And that he is likely to contest in Tanjung Aru and not as he had announced to contest against Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman in Sibuga.

My Say:

The colour of Sabah politics is beginning to bloom. Just thinking aloud. Will Vitos Koding contest in Ranau? His father the late Datuk Mark Koding, Sabah former Deputy Chief Minister, was once Kinabalu MP and Ranau Assemblyman.

The Presidents says......

Presidents of Barisan Nasional(BN) Sabah-based political parties attended the BN Supreme Council meeting in Kuala Lumpur today which was chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Abdullah, who is also BN national chief, said there was no problem in the allocation of seat to BN component parties to contest in the March 8 polls. Nomination is set for Feb 24.

However, back in Kota Kinabalu, the Presidents of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Datuk Yong Teck Lee, United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Organisation (UPKO) Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) Tan Sri Joseph Kurup says something else.

Pairin said PBS was yet to finalise its list of candidates although he had them all arranged `in his head'. Pairin also said that they might be several new faces replacing incumbents.

Yong said he was looking at the direction of Kota Kinabalu parliamentry seat to contest in the election. He said his name was among the list of candidates proposed by SAPP and submitted to Abdullah.

Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai, PBS Deputy President, is the Kota Kinabalu incumbent MP. If it is given to Yong to contest, PBS will lose one seat if the 2004 seat allocation is to be used as the yardstick to determine candidates this time around.

Dompok on the other hand said UPKO might field new faces in the polls and that he was still not sure if he is to defend his Ranau seat. He had not discount the possibility of `movement' of incumbents to contest in the polls.

Kurup said he had submitted an appeal for more seats for PBRS to contest and will leave it to Abdullah to make a decision.

Sabah Umno chief and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who yesterday said the 2004 formula would be maintained, said allocation of seats among the BN component parties in Sabah `is still being considered.'

All these leaders returned to Kota Kinabalu today.

Kadazandusun leaders Pairin, Dompok and Kurup were in the same flight,which prompted a journalist to ask what they discussed on board during the about three hours flight from Kuala Lumpur.

Pairin said they did not talk about the election.

Points to ponder run-up to the election: Dompok and Kurup together with Pairin formed PBS in 1985 but ditched him to form their respective parties.

My Say:

This is just the beginning, as the days go by, be assured of the unexpected in Sabahh politics. Let the game start from here.

Pairin To Take Two

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan announced today that he will be defending his State seat of Tambunan and Parliament seat of Keningau in the coming elections.

Pairin, the Huguan Siou (Paramount Leader) of the Kadazandusun, said as a party and community leader, he should defend the two seats.

Two PBS deputy presidents Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili and Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai were also incumbent Assemblymen and MPs. Ongkili is incumbent MP for Kota Karudu and Assemblyman for Tandek, while Dr Yee is Kota Kinabalu MP incumbent as well as Api Api incumbent Assemblyman.

Ongkili, who is Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, had recently announced that he is considering of defending only one of the seats while Dr Yee, Sabah Resource Development and Information Technology Minister, said he let the party leadership to decide from him.

My Say:

After being an Assemblyman since 1976, many believed that Pairin should only contest one seat and let a younger leader (his lawyer son maybe) contest the other. For the record Pairin was also Chief Minister for 10 year from to 1985.

Yes! PM Calls For Election

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who had yesterday denied that Parliament will not be dissolved today, announced the dissolution in Kuala Lumpur at noon today.

He also called on all States, except for Sarawak which had just held its State election about two years ago, to dissolve their State Legislative Assemblies to pave way for a simultaneous Parliamentary and State elections to be held.

This dissolution of Parliament is 15 months ahead of its five years term end on May 16, 2009. The 11th general election was held on March 21, 2004.

A total of 222 parliamentary seats will be up for grab this time, three more than the last election due to the new seats in Sarawak following the electoral delineation in 2006. At State level, 505 seats will be contested,

Before the dissolution today, Barisan Nasional held 199 seats in Parliament and the opposition DAP (12), Pas (6), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (1) and an Independent one in Sandakan, Sabah.

The Election Commission will meet tomorrow to fix the dates of nomination and polling.

My Say:

Now the next thing to watch will be candidates and incumbents dropped from defending their respective seats.

All 60 seats says Bersekutu

Sabah-based opposition Parti Berisan Rakyat Sabah (Bersekutu) had decided to contest in all the 60 State seats in Sabah in the general elections.

President Berman Langkap said initially the party had wanted to cooperate with other opposition party on the aspect of seats allocation for each party to contest but the discussion held last Saturday changed that all.

He said a Kuala Lumpur-based opposition party ridiculed Bersekutu hence the decision to go alone in the election.

Berman said the Election Commission is scheduled to give an election briefing to Bersekutu on Sunday. All party's leaders will be attending.

Bersekutu's advisor is Datuk Haji Mohd Noor Mansoor, a former Finance Minister during the Datuk Harris Salleh's led Party Berjaya Government.

My Say:

Incidentally Datuk Harris Salleh was head of Bersekutu when it contested all the State seats in the 2004 election. All candidates lost, majority lost their election deposits too.

Ex-Sabah CM joining PKR?

Former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Harris Salleh (June 1976-April 1985) is being lured to join Opposition party Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

PKR Vice President Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan's political secretary Kanul Gindol said Sabah PKR head Haji Ansari Abdullah was in contact with the former the Chief Minister along with another Sabah veteran politician Datuk Haji Yahya Lampong.

Harris' former strongman in his now defunt Parti Berjaya Haji Datuk Halik Zaman and ex-Likas Umno head Hussien Wahid Daly are already in PKR.

My Say:

As the general elections is coming nearer, I expect more former ministers and veteran politicians to join PKR.

Sabah - Labuan Bridge

Sabah-based political party Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) had established its own `think-tank' and top of its agenda is to push for the construction of a bridge linking Sabah mainland to the Federal Territory of Labuan.

Progressive Institute of Public Policy Analysis headed by Datuk Tham Nyip Shen said the bridge would be about eight kilometres from Klias in Sabah to Labuan Island, across the South China Sea.

SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said the party came up with the idea at the time the proposed second Johore-Singapore bridge encountered problem.

Yong, a former Sabah Chief Minister, said the party would present the proposal to the State Government for consideration.

My Say:

I hope I will still be around when the bridge is built.

Sex scandal and politics

Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek's case was not the first sex scandal that was exposed to public involving politicians in Malaysia. In Sabah, too, in the 1980s similar exposure was made that involved an Assistant Minister.

While Dr Chua's scandal was exposed in a video recording, this Assistant Minister was accused by a woman of having sexs with a promise to marry her. Yesterday Dr Chua resigned as Health Minister and MP as well as all other party's posts. In the Sabah's case, the man stay put a politician.

The woman went to the Syariah Court accusing that Assistant Minister had sexs with her in a cheap hotel in Kota Kinabalu. It was the story and talks of the people for several months.

At first when the story went into print in the local and national newspapers, there was no name mentioned which resulted into wild speculation among the Government of the day's male Assistant Ministers.

Later the man was named and the case went into trial in open court of which I covered for the New Straits Times. There was a lot of drama in the hearing, one of which, the accused Assistant Minister in the dock greeting the girl at the other box `Hello Sayang'.

The Assistant Minister denied the charges (not once but several times alleged by the girl)saying that he was visiting his constituency at the time, day and year as framed in the charges against him. He told the court that he could bring the villagers as his witnesses.

But he was convicted and of course he filed an appeal. At the appeal stage, he was cleared, not because of his alibi but the court ruled and held that there was no witness when he and the girl were having sex.

Nevertheless, he quit as Assistant Minister but stayed on as an Assemblyman. He went on to retain his seat and was made a full minister.

The rest is history.

My Say:

I purposely did not mention any names as the man had since passed away and the woman happily married.

What's up, Kanul, Ansari, PKR?

I received an interesting Press statement from Kanul Gindol, the political secretary to Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan today. It is in response to Haji Ansari Abdullah's statement on Wednesday which I posted earlier.

Kanul's Press Statement is entitled `It must be Ansari personal opinion' and I quoted in full below.


KOTA KINABALU; What Ansari Abdullah has stated in his news conference yesterday must be his personal opinion, because it is a deviation from an agreed policy of the party's top leadership that the State Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Steering Committee under the chairmanship of Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan is the top policy-making body on policies and election candidates, as far as Sabah is concerned.

I am issuing this statement in my own capacity with the instruction from the second echelon leaders as well as the grassroot that we must put our beacon of hope at the right spot, and that we must always sends truthful words to the people.

As far as I know there was no such state decision as yet to field Ansari or anyone else, in a predominantly Kadazandusun parliamentary seat like Tuaran, so I found it as just being disrespectful to our leader Dr Jeffrey, who is recuperating in hospital for spinal injury, to pick this time to announce own candidacy in a seat like Tuaran.

The announcement by Ansari could mean many things on Ansari and the party. Many are alarmed at Ansari's words because we understand that there was not yet a decision by the Steering Committee as to stand in only 40 seats and 20 MP seats, as Ansari had wrongly implied. This must have come from Ansari single head.

I am more concerned, and now want to share my concern with the public, when I am told by friends that Ansari had unilaterally, but with the knowledge of Sec-Gen Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who was here recently, `decided' to omit any Kadazandusun & Murut and Chinese leaders from the team to negotiate with DAP on the latter's intention to field candidates in Chinese and KDM areas.

What does this mean?

How on earth could this be when the very thing we wan to negotiate is Chinese and KDM seats like Api-Api,Kepayan, Tamparuli, Laiwan and even Kuamut where DAP also had made known to us its interest to put up candidates.

My Say:

Its look like this opposition party's leaders are divided and have their own camp and personal agenda.

Keadilan to contest all

Parti Keadilan Rakyat must be confident of garnering enough seats in the coming general elections to form the next State Government in Sabah. What else can be said when the party had decided to contest in all the 40 State and 20 Parliamentary seats in Sabah. It look like they will be going alone in this election.

The opposition party's liaison chief for Sabah Haji Ansari Abdullah today made the announcement saying that he will be contesting in the Tuaran parliamentary seat. He contested in the Sulaman State seat for the party in the 2004 general election. He lost to Datuk Haji Noor who is now Local Government and Housing Minister.

Ansari today said that despite of another opposition party call for national-based party to only contest in parliamentary constituencies and let Sabah-based opposition parties contest in State seats, Keadilan will be fielding candidates in all constituencies.

Berman Angkap, Parti Barisan Rakyat Sabah's president, had last week said that only Sabah-based opposition parties should contest against Barisan Nasional in State seats. National-based opposition, he said, should focus on parliamentary seats.

"There is no point in asking Umno to return to West Malaysia but the same time allow Peninsula-based opposition parties to contest all State seats," Angkap said.

Ansari said Angkap party was entitled to their opinion, saying that when Keadilan contested in 2004, they fared better than Angkop party and the other opposition parties.

He said the independent candidate, who contested in Banggi and now Keadilan Banggi chief, lost by only about 300 votes to the Barisan Nasional candidate.

"Keadilan in Sabah is well prepared for the elections," Ansari said.

My Say:

All political parties will have the same assumption. There was this party called Parti Rakyat Sabah headed by Datuk Dr James Ongkili (the late) who was so confident in winning and forming the State Government, contested in all seats but lost all, its candidates almost all lost their election deposit.

Dr Jeffrey cheats death

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Vice President Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan met an accident about 5am today at Kampung Bongol, Pekan Nabalu, along the Tamparuli-Ranau Road.

Dr Jeffrey suffered injuries on the face and neck and is now warded at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu. He was travelling from the East Coast of Sabah after a party's roadshow. The 4x4 vehicle he was travelling in was said to have went out of control and hit a hill side before turning turtle.

The driver and an unidentified woman were not injured.

Among the first to visit the 60-year-old politician at his hospital bed was his older brother Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

My Say:

Dr Jeffrey had been touring the State on demand by the people in view of the incoming general elections. I will not be surprise that he will be travelling again once out of hospital.

Ditching Pairin for Dr Jeffrey

The past few weeks several founder leaders of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) headed by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan had quit the party to join the opposition.

Founder leader and a Deputy Chief Minister during the PBS Government (1984-1994) Datuk Ariah Tengku Ahmad ditched Pairin to join Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan in Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). Pairin was Chief Minister when his party was in power.

The latest was PBS former Assemblyman for Bengkoka Paul Tom Imbayan, who was also PBS former executive secretary. Several more ex-PBS leaders had joined PKR since Dr Jeffrey was made its national Vice President.

My Say:

Elections is sure coming very soon. May be if they stay put in PBS, these leaders has not chance to be nomintated to contest in the election for PBS. They are my friends, though, I wish them good luck.

Politician with 2 ICs

The Daily Express today reported that a prominent Labuan politician allegedly has two identity cards (IC) and a police report had been lodged at the Ampang Jaya Police Station in Selangor on Sept 13, this year.

It was claimed that the politician had used one of his IC to register as an UMNO member while the other was used to register his business with the Companies Commission of Malaysia.

The report said the case had been transferred to Labuan police to investigate.

My Say:

Can this be connected with the tussle for candidacy for the Labuan sole Parliamentary seat in the coming general elections?

PBRS in trouble?

With the general elections being talk about taking place November, something big a problem is brewing in Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), a component party member of the ruling Barisan Nasional.

Talk is that PBRS president ex-Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, who is also Sook Assemblyman, is not in good term with the party's Secretary General and Pensiangan Member of Parliament Datuk Bernard Maraat.

A PBRS insider said it is an open secret that Kurup and Maraat `do not see eye to eye' for sometimes now.

The reason being Kurup is said to not renominate/recommend Maraat to defend Pensiangan and will instead himself contest the seat. Kurup, in dropping Maraat as a candidate in the coming election, is said to nominate Vice President Datuk Elron Alfred Angin to contest Sook.

Kurup defeated Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan for the Sook seat with a 395 votes majority in the 2004's election while Maraat secured a 608 votes majority to take the Pensiangan seat, defeating Martin Tommy.

Kurup had accepted Tommy into PBRS' stable in a ceremony on July 14, in which Marat was not present/invited.

My Say:

I can not help but say that Kurup is looking for a sure win seat in the coming election. What if Dr Jeffrey take on Kurup again?

Not what PBS expected

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) is now saying that the power-sharing concept of the National Coalition or Barisan Nasional Government was not exactly what they had hoped for in the coalition.

PBS Youth leader Jahid Jahim voiced this point in his policy speech at the Wanita (Women) and Pemuda (Youth) annual delegate conference at the Hongkod Koisaan in Penampang today.

PBS is one of the BN's component party members.

Jahid, who is Youth and Sports Assistant Minister, did not elaborate but said the issue will be discussed the debate session tomorrow.

Jahid also said that previous leaders, when they signed the formation of the Federation of Malaysia 44 years ago, envisioned a prosperous and developed nation where the citizens live peacefully without having to face problems such as now.

He cited the problems, amongst others, illegal immigrants, IMM13 and fake identity cards.

Jahid also expressed the PBS Youth's anger with the recent inhuman burning of houses and farms owned by the people that were carried out by certain entity with excuse of upholding the sovereignty of the law. He said they are also unhappy with the way some land applications by the people are being treated compared to those made by giant companies.

"PBS Youth is worried that illegal immigrants, IMM13 holders and fake IC holders are moving freely in Sabah," he said.

The two days' congress was opened by the party president Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan. The main PBS Congress will be held on Nov 11.

My Say:

Now we are hearing PBS voicing this issues. What did they do when PBS was the State Government and Pairin was the Chief Minister.

Like father like son - The Kodings

Vitos, a son of former Sabah Deputy Chief Minister, the late Datuk Mark Koding, will be contesting the Ranau parliamentary constituency in the coming general elections. He made this known during an AidilFitri open house hosted by opposition party PASOK in Tanjung Aru today.

He is the party's Information Chief.

Mark won the seat, defeating then Federal Works Minister Tan Sri Ghani Gilong in the late 1970s. Mark contested as an Independent but was backed by Parti Berjaya (now defunct). The constituency was then known as Kinabalu as Ranau is at the foot of Mt Kinabalu. In 1985, Mark contested and won the Ranau State seat for Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and was made a Deputy Chief Minister.

Although relatively unknown, Vitos said he is all geared for the elections and is confident to win the seat.

My Say:

As I had mentioned in my older posting, PASOK is facing leadership problems that it has two presidents and two sets of supreme council members. PASOK also have two party headquarters. Well, good luck to the young Koding. In politics nothing is impossible.

Yes ballot boxes arriving...

The front page of Daily Express today says it all

My Say:

On Oct 5, in my posting, I said my well-informed source in Kuala Lumpur whispered to me that transparent ballot boxes were being packed in Port Klang to be sent to Sarawak and Sabah. I reported that the boxes are to arrive Kota Kinabalu on Oct 22. These new boxes, replacing the old metal boxes, will be used in the General Elections which I predicted will be on Nov 25 after the dissolution of Parliament and the State Legislative Assembly on Nov 9.

What I had posted is now confirmed. Sabah Election Commission director Haji Mohd Idrus Ismail confirmed that the boxes, some 3,262, are expected to arrive Friday (Oct 26) after similar consignment was delivered to Kuching, Sarawak.

Mohd Idrus also confirmed that appointed polling clerks from Sabah and Labuan had completed their training before the fasting month and that briefing to returning officers will be held anytime now.

As of June 30, there are 786,351 voters in Sabah compared to the 768,945 eligible to vote in the March 2004 general elections.

If not because of the weather, the boxes would had arrived Kota Kinabalu yesterday (Oct 22)as I had predicted two weeks ago.

If Keadilan forms the Federal Government

Opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)made known another move it will take if it win the general election and formed the Federal Government. A PKR Government will return Labuan Island to Sabah.

Parti Berjaya Government under then Chief Minister Datuk Harris Mohd Salleh `gave' Labuan to the Federal Government to be made a Federal Territory on April 16, 1984.

PKR Vice President Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said after restoring the ownership of Labuan to Sabah, PKR Government would consider realigning election boundaries to enable at least one Sabah constituency to be craved out for the island.

PKR will be fielding a candidate in the Labuan parliamentary seat in the coming general elections.

My Say:

It was during Parti Berjaya State Government led by then Chief Minister Datuk Harris Mohd Salleh that Labuan was made a Federal Territory. Parti Bersatu Sabah headed by Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan went into the 1985 State election telling the people that Berjaya government sold Labuan to Kuala Lumpur.

PBS toppled Parti Berjaya and Pairin became Chief Minister and the rest is history. Can Dr Jeffrey lead PKR to power in Sabah like what his older brother did in 1985?

Up-date: Sabah CM's daughter wedding

Borneo Post today published on its front page a photograph of Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman daughter Lenny Natasha, 26, and her would-be husband State Legislative Assembly member for Membakut 44-year-old Haji Mohd Ariffin Haji Mohd Ariff.

The wedding will be held at Musa's residence Sri Libaran in Sandakan beginning with the akad nikah ceremony on Thursday (Oct 18) and the actual wedding Bersanding ceremony on Saturday (Oct 20).

Before picked to contest Membakut on Barisan Nasional Umno ticket in the 2004 general elections, Mohd Ariffin was a public relations secretary to the Chief Minister. Musa, who is also Sabah Finance Minister, is the Sabah Umno liaison committee chairman.

Mohd Ariffin is currently the Sabah Native Affairs Council's chairman. He will also hold a wedding reception in his hometown at Kampung Pimping, Membakut on Oct 28.