KOTA KINABALU: UPKO president Datuk Ewon Benedick’s willingness to discuss with the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman getting the “go-ahead” to run for the Limbahau state seat shows that the party representing Pakatan Harapan (PH) is prepared to collaborate with GRS to face the upcoming state election (PRN).
Political activist Mohd Zaki Harry Susanto believed that UPKO’s willingness to help out GRS to battle together against the opposition alliance could fuel shocks, accordingly, including the coloration of the “Sabah’s evergreen politics”.
He believed the UPKO’s support for GRS is expected to further strengthen the electoral machinery of the component parties that are part of the present Sabah state government.
“There is no doubt that Sabah PH, especially DAP, has its own strength in the urban areas, while UPKO is getting more and more people’s support in the KDM areas.
I believe this new development will certainly add to the excitement and unpredictability of Sabah’s politics,” he said.
Zaki said this when commenting on Ewon’s statement on the matter in Papar recently.
Speaking to reporters after officiating the UPKO Convention for Zone D (Papar, Kimanis, and Beaufort) at Kg.Biau Hall, Ewon was quoted as saying that UPKO representing PH is eyeing the opportunity to contest for the Limbahau state seat in the next state election.
However, Ewon stressed that the matter will first be discussed with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor, a partner in the state government and a friend of Sabah PH.
Previously, Hajiji expressed confidence that good cooperation with the component parties in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and the state PH would be able to bring success to the coalition in the upcoming state election.
GRS comprises PGRS, PBS, SAPP, STAR, USNO, LDP, and PHRS.
According to Zaki, the GRS-PH combination is likely to face a tough challenge from the opposition parties at the state level, particularly Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan), UMNO Sabah, and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), spearheaded by Datuk Peter Anthony.
He also predicted that the Parti Perikatan Nasional (PN) of Sabah, led by Datuk Dr. Ronald Kiandee, will likely enter the race as the third force.
At the federal level, GRS, BN, PH, Warisan, and KDM are actively cooperating, although Hajiji’s leadership, which severed relations with the peninsula-based Bersatu early this year, is supported at the state level only by PH, he said.
“On paper, the willingness of Sabah PH to cooperate with GRS gives an advantage to the existing state ruling party, but don’t under estimate the strength of Warisan, led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, UMNO Sabah, led by Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, and KDM, especially on the east coast.
The next Sabah PRN is expected to be challenging, interesting, and difficult to predict due to both sides’ potential for surprises, he added.
Zaki believed negotiation on the seat-sharing formula for all 73 state seats ahead of the next Sabah State elections was going to be a real challenge.
“In the forthcoming state elections, we are probably going to see a threeway contest,” he said.
Zaki is of the opinion that a triangular contest is likely to be advantageous to GRS-PH.
He said the opposition alliance’s suggestion of one-on-one combat against the GRS-PH could be a real headache for the ruling party.
“However, in politics, anything is possible, and at the end of the day, the people will have the final say,” he said.
