The waiting game in Sabah: Musa Aman takes on Najib

'BILLIONAIRE' MUSA AMAN TO GO AFTER MAKING SABAHANS POOR

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Given his troubles with cronies hounded by Hong Kong graft-buster ICAC, speculation that Musa Aman has finally agreed to step down as Sabah Chief Minister and move into the non-political office of the Yang Di-Pertua Negeri or Head of State is gaining credence among Sabahans.

It is a trade-off many pundits have been predicting and say they would be relieved if it was true. Otherwise, the turmoil the feisty Musa could create with his fabulous wealth may indeed tear the East Malaysian state apart.

Shouts of secession, unheard since the 1980s, could even make a comeback as the Sabah leader plays a dangerous and high-stakes waiting game with his boss, Prime Minister Najib Razak.

“Musa has this larger-than-life personality. For him to give up the Sabah chief minister's post will really be like sucking blood from him. He would never agree unless he was offered a higher post,” a Sabah watcher toldMalaysia Chronicle.

“No doubt as YDPN, he won’t have any official political power but he still gets to enjoy the trappings of exalted position, the chauffeurs, outriders and limousines. He will still be a part of the scene, a part of the in-circle and that's enough because from these corridors of power, he can wield influence and broker deals.”

What about the ICAC

If so, then it would also mean that Najib has agreed not to chase after the slew of corruption complaints lodged against Musa and his friends, one of whom was actually arrested in Hong Kong in 2008 carrying a suitcase containing RM16 million in cash.

How would the PM put off the ICAC, whom sources said were finalizing their probe and are waiting for the go-ahead from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission before taking the next step? One highly-placed source had told Malaysia Chronicle the ICAC had recently warned it would confiscate all the funds found in an illegal money laundering racket uncovered during the probe on Musa’s cronies.

“In the Sabah coffee-shops, the amount talked about is RM900 million and that is just in Hong Kong alone. It is hard to imagine Musa or Najib allowing the ICAC to confiscate so much money ,” the Sabah watcher said.

“You see, to not probe Musa and his cronies for alleged corruption is one thing, to give him a Tun-ship is another. But what about this money which will be confiscated on behalf of the Hong Kong government if Malaysia does not act against the culprits. Of course, to live and fight another day is wiser and Musa's cronies may reckon that as long as Najib agrees to not chase them, new opportunities can be found later.”

Secession

The tale of Musa Aman and his simmering face-off with Najib is the stuff of spy thrillers and ruthless power struggles.

Sabah watchers recount in whispered tones how their chief minister had indicated to the Prime Minister that he would not step down, not without a fight. They talk about how his supporters would often threaten Putrajaya with pulling Sabah out of Malaysia.

“I think Najib also got fed up with all these threats. For him, it is very simple. He needs a loyalist, someone obedient who won’t always be talking secession the moment there is trouble. Musa is also the head of Sabah Umno and Sabah Umno now has the largest number of members,” the insider said.

“This gives Musa incredible clout and makes it even more crucial for Najib to put his own man in the chief minister's chair. Najib is also believed to be upset that Musa has been defiant and is taking his time to channel funds back to HQ in KL.”

Out of Umno's total membership of 3,159,484, Sabah has 449,805, followed by Johor with 428,663 and Selangor with 414,142.

Seat-warmer for Shafie until 13th GE

At Najib’s end, he is believed to be still keen on Shafie Apdal, the Umno national vice-president and MP for Semporna, taking over from Musa. However, to do so, it would require triggering a vacancy in one of Sabah’s 60 state seats and a by-election may be too politically risky for both Najib and Shafie.

As such, many believe that a ‘caretaker’ chief minister will named if Musa steps down according to plan, which is some time before the current Yang Di-Pertua Negeri, Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah ends his term in December.

Shafie is expected to be shuffled into a state seat at the 13th general election, which many believe will happen before May 2011, which is the latest for the Sarawak state elections to be conducted.