Never a Suluk Filipino for CM

Even if there are circumstantial cases against the Amans in Sabah, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is unlikely to rock his 'fixed deposit'.

COMMENT

The Suluk Filipinos are after Musa Aman’s head in their renewed bid for the Chief Minister’s post. But this time, Musa is not alone. He is taking Foreign Minister and brother Anifah Aman along for the ride.

Many want to see Anifah destroyed along with Musa to minimise any possibility of the younger brother taking up the challenge of being the chief minister if ever the opportunity presents itself.

Anifah is getting closer by the day to the chief minister’s post as he has since chalked up an enviable record as foreign minister.

Having made his money and tonnes of it before he went into politics, Anifah has since stayed out of business and professional dealings which would cast aspersions on his character and his integrity in public service.

So, the critics would appear to be barking up the wrong tree on Anifah.

Both the Suluk Filipinos and opposition PKR have alleged that Anifah is Musa’s “real nominee”, who is involved in all sorts of shady dealings involving timber.

Even the recent arrest of Manuel Amalilo aka Mohammad Suffian Syed, who scammed 15,000 Filipinos of 12 billion pesos (RM895 million) in a ponzi scheme in the Philippines, is purportedly engineered by the Aman brothers.

But those who know Anifah will swear that the Kimanis MP is one shrewd operator and scrupulous about the way he arranges his public and private life.

Aside from Anifah, Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan is the only other leader who will get Musa’s support as his successor.

But Pairin was chief minister from 1985 to 1994 and is unlikely to accept his old post even if offered.

So even if there are circumstantial cases against Musa and Anifah, current Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is unlikely to rock his “fixed deposit” state of Sabah just because some Suluk Filipino (read: Semporna MP Shafie Apdal) got too big for his boots and wants to be chief minister.

Dream on

It is common knowledge here that Shafie, who is also a federal-level minister and an Umno vice- president, is eyeing the chief minister’s seat.

Shafie is a Suluk and his “turf” Semporna is undoubtedly infested with illegal immigrants, from the nearby Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines.

But be assured no Suluk Filipino will ever become chief minister of Sabah.

Why? Because the local native Dusuns in particular — including the Kadazans and Muruts – would not allow it.

That would be the worst imaginable political scenario for the Dusuns as it would open the floodgates to further influx of illegal immigrants from the Philippines in particular.

Mindful that the Dusuns and Muruts through Pairin and his Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) are solidly behind Musa, the Suluk Filipinos recently tried to sponsor KDM Malaysia – as an NGO – to further split the non-Muslim natives as a political force to reckon with in the state.

But their efforts came to nothing and the NGO is currently on the verge of being deregistered by the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

The Suluk Sabahans are another group together with the Bajaus, Barunai and Irranun who are also dead set against a Suluk Filipino taking the reins of the state government.

They made their stand clear when they re-grouped under the old United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) in a protest against the disproportionate political role being played in Umno by the Suluk Filipino Muslims.

Selvarajah Somiah is a geologist and freelance writer. He blogs at selvarajasomiah.wordpress.com