National parties’ entrance to Sabah at the people’s request?

By Political Analyst Musli Oli

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KOTA KINABALU: The attempt to reject the national parties in Sabah stems from the lack of knowledge of the political history of most of the people in the state.

The parties are in Sabah at the invitation and request of the people of Sabah. This is what differentiates Sabah and Sarawak. The people of Sarawak did not invite the national party like the leaders of Sabah.

The fact that the presence of a national political party is very important in striking a balance in the state’s political landscape is because there is a tendency for the Sabah government to become a “dictatorial government” if the local party is in full power. This happened during the reigns of USNO and Berjaya.

During the rule of USNO (1967–1976), its coalition party, SCA, was only a puppet. And other local parties such as USAP (United Sabah Action Party), established by Kalakau Untol in the 1970s, cannot speak for the people. Every party activity is curbed. Even the movements of party leaders are closely guarded by the police.

People who need defending have invited opposition parties from the peninsula, such as PEKEMAS and DAP. But bear in mind that these parties do not enter uninvited. The same is the case with the history of the entry of the UMNO and other national parties.

Its history dates back to the early 1960s, which is before the establishment of Malaysia, when Datu Mustapha invited Tunku Abdul Rahman to expand the UMNO wing to Sabah, but the Tunku refused. The desire was revived by a group of young USNO leaders led by Yahaya Lampong and Karim Ghani in the mid-1970s, but this time Tun Mustapha refused because he was still angry with UMNO’s actions in masterminding the successful overthrow of USNO.

When Sabah became entangled in the power struggle between PBS, USNO, and Berjaya in the mid-1980s, UMNO showed interest in entering Sabah. But that intention was hindered when UMNO itself was faced with a power struggle crisis between Team A, led by Mahathir, and Team B, led by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

It was only in 1990 that it finalized its presence in Sabah. The big reason is that five days before the 1990 GE, PBS led by Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan (now Tan Sri) “betrayed” BN by taking his party out of the coalition and supporting Gagasan Rakyat, a coalition of parties led by Tengku Razaleigh. At that time, Pairin was convinced that BN would fall and Tengku Razaleigh would replace Mahathir as Prime Minister.

That action angered BN because, in the nomination of candidates, BN had allocated 14 seats to be contested by PBS. When PBS comes out, it means that it brings with it the candidates who have been nominated for the seat. Last-minute betrayals like this could happen in the future.

Before UMNO entered Sabah, the political parties in the state were too dependent on their leaders. Since the beginning of its establishment, UPKO has depended on Donald Stephens, although there are several other leaders, such as Peter Mojuntin. Donald Stephens is the first “Huguon Siou” of the Kadazandusun people. Similarly, USNO is too dependent on Tun Mustapha.

The presence of UMNO has, to some extent, changed the situation. Even though in the early stages, Tun Mustapha’s influence and presence were so important, after that, Sabah UMNO no longer depended entirely on the leadership. Loyalty to leaders has shifted to loyalty to parties and organizations. In 32 years, Sabah UMNO has changed its state liaison committee chairman six times.

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