A Senator the next Sabah leader to leave? Najib rushes to stem BN breakup

A Senator will be the next Sabah leader to leave the ruling BN coalition to join the Sabah Reform Front, a movement set up by Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin, and aligned to the Pakatan Rakyat led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, to fight for change in the poverty-stricken East Malaysian state.

Amongst names tossed around as to who could be the latest to make the switch out of the BN is Senator Maijol Mahap, an Upko vice president who is believed to have tendered his resignation from the party earlier this week.

"A giant rally will be held in Kota Marudu on August 12 and a major announcement will be made. Anwar will be there to speak to the crowds and join in the celebration. Najib is not being smart by choosing to come at a date so near to our event. He will be humiliated as he won't be able to reverse the trend. Just like Muhyiddin, he will fail," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

Tian was referring to last night's news that Najib planned to head to Sabah on August 11, where the PM said he would announce the details of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the illegal immigrants problem there.

Maijol the man?

It is believed Maijol's term as Senator will only expire next year. In the meantime, he cannot be sacked or removed.

Malaysia Chronicle could not reach Maijol for confirmation, while Tian declined to reveal identity details. However, the PKR stalwart confirmed that another leader was coming on board and that there would be several more joining soon.

"It can be said that I belong to Upko which is a party that is attractive and has a great culture. President Tan Sri Bernard Dompok is a good and competent leader. Upko is very fortunate to have leaders like him. However, after studying the problems persisting in Sabah, while visible settlement efforts, with a heavy heart, I have to leave the struggle," Maijol is reported to have said in several Sabah blogs.

"I no longer had faith that the BN can or will resolve critical issues in Sabah, such as the issue of illegal immigrants which are long lasting, high poverty rate in Sabah, the elimination of racial KDM (Kadazandusun Murut) from the public service and scholarship awards, the land problems, 5% oil royalty, 'Borneo-nization' and the Cabotage Policy."

Tremendous pressure to stop BN breakup

The embattled Najib is under tremendous pressure to stop Sabah BN from breaking up after losing two Members of Parliament to the Pakatan Rakyat.

Wilfred, the former Upko deputy chief, is the Tuaran MP and Lajim, an Umno supreme council member, is the Beaufort MP. Both men are now independent lawmakers aligned to the Pakatan.

So far, neither men have joined any of the Pakatan parties of DAP, PAS and PKR, but Wlifred is expected to move into PKR while Lajim is believed to be keen to join PAS. It is not clear yet where Maijol is headed but it could be any of the Pakatan parties or Sapp.

Pakatan's role is to provide them with an umbrella under which they can contest, iron out disputes and to prevent multi-corner fights so as to enhance the Opposition's strength in taking on BN, which has controversially ruled Sabah since 1963.

"Sabah leaders who leave BN can also join Sapp. There is no restriction, it is up to the individuals. At this stage, we look at the overall goal of freeing the people of Sabah from poverty and oppression above everything else," said Tian, the Pakatan chief negotiator in the agreement.

Will Najib succeed where Muhyiddin failed

Indeed, the long-anticipated exodus of leaders from the corruption-tainted BN into the Opposition is finally picking momentum. It is expected to intensify as leaders from Sarawak, Johor and other states declare their stand ahead of the general election.

All eyes are now on whether Najib will succeed in stopping his nemesis, Anwar Ibrahim, and succeed where his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin, had failed.

Last Saturday, the Deputy Prime Minister had also headed to Sabah - a day before Wilfred and Lajim were due to officially announce their exit from the BN. But Muhyiddin could not stop the duo.

“You heard the speech of Wilfred Bumburing... suggesting he has absolutely no confidence in the prime minister and the Umno government... the vast disparity between the rich and the poor, the marginalisation of the masses there and the failure to accept recommendations for the formation of the RCI on the illegals issue,” Anwar told a press conference earlier this week.

“I will be back in Sabah on the 12th (of August) with some more positive news. Because Umno has ridiculed me for so long, saying that there are no surprises,” the Opposition Leader, widely seen to be Malaysia's next prime minister, teased.

Arrest the 'M' in Project M if you are sincere!

The issue of illegal workers given citizenship and permanent residency in exchange for voting BN is a long-standing grouse in Sabah. Not only have Sabahans been squeezed out of jobs and forced to accept reduced slices of the economic pie, the social problems of heightened and violent crimes plus overcrowding in housing and public amenities have been horrendous.

Sabahans blame the "diabolical plot" on the BN, accusing the coalition of trying to cling to power via the Project M, where the 'M' allegedly stands for Mahathir Mohamad, the former premier who ruled between 1981 and 2003. Mahathir has denied any responsibility for the scheme but Sabahans have never forgiven him and bay for his blood continuously.

Official figures put the number of illegals in Sabah at several hundreds of thousands but it might be above a million, some experts have warned.

"We welcome Najib's announcement that he will reveal the RCI details when he comes over. We challenge him to present a comprehensive plan but we are very sure that Najib will only be able to give his usual vague watered-down terms of reference," said Tian.

"The test is, can Najib launch a real inquiry that is independent, neutral and focused without exposing Dr M? Would Najib dare to arrest Dr M? Najib shouldn't waste time with doubletalk, he should put it to test and let Sabahans see for themselves how sincere he and BN are."