KOTA KINABALU: A compelling shift in Sabah’s political landscape is now becoming increasingly apparent.
Beginning with the joint appearance of three local party leaders—Warisan President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, STAR President Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, and KDM Acting President Priscella Peter—at the Malaysia Day celebration in Batu Sumpah, Keningau on September 16, the camaraderie among these three party leaders has begun to translate and manifest at the grassroots level.
For instance, yesterday, several KDM leadership members from Kota Marudu, including former DUN candidate Bandau Jaiping Minsu Lumidang from the recent state election and STAR leadership members from Kota Marudu, attended the opening ceremony of Warisan Party P168 Kota Marudu’s General Assembly.
For those who remained skeptical and viewed the unity of influential figures at Batu Sumpah as merely coincidental, the recent collaboration among Warisan, KDM, and STAR leadership members in Kota Marudu may well dispel such doubts, simultaneously suggesting that this three-party alliance could mount a formidable challenge capable of creating surprises in the upcoming general election (PRU).
“Today (Sunday), I accepted an invitation to attend alongside KDM Party Leadership for P168 Kota Marudu at Warisan Party P168 Kota Marudu’s General Assembly. I deeply appreciate this opportunity.
“I wish to commend and congratulate Warisan P168 Kota Marudu Leadership for successfully executing this assembly,” Jaiping stated in his latest Facebook post.
Jaiping noted that STAR Party leadership from P168 Kota Marudu also participated in the event.
Many local political observers contend that strong relationships between local parties are typically driven by the formation of new political coalitions or strategic partnerships to face electoral challenges.
However, they stated that cooperation at the senior level requires time to be translated to the grassroots level.
“Once this rapport becomes visible at the grassroots level, the combined strength of the parties will certainly be evident. It would be beneficial if these three parties could form a unified coalition.
“Rapport at the grassroots level can be considered a key indicator of a political coalition’s strength, given that unified support from ordinary members is the true foundation that drives party victories in parliamentary constituencies,” said a political analyst.
According to them, it is still too early to conduct an analysis on the effectiveness of cooperation among the local parties Warisan, KDM, and STAR; however, they agree that the three parties working together are stronger and more stable compared to competing independently.
