A battle of wits between Musa and Shafie

Just as the dust of the GE13 settles, Sabah is once again under the spotlight of national attention.

This time it is on the race to occupy the Umno vice-president posts currently held by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Hishamuddin Hussein and Mohd Shafie Apdal.

Shafie (left), who is Semporna MP and federal Rural and Regional Development minister, has announced his intention to defend his post.

One of his potential competitors is also from Sabah, chief minister and Sabah Umno liaison chief Musa Aman. Musa has so far kept his political cards close on his chest, refusing to reveal his next course of action.

Many people see the race to win the vice-president post as a battle of wits between Musa and Shafie.

It is publicly known that Musa and Shafie are “strange bedfellows”.

Their battle to the pinnacle of power in Umno is seen as their attempt to consolidate their grip on party politics.

Neither Shafie nor Musa has offered any new policy platforms to contest. However, on paper, it looks like Shafie has the edge.

Compared to Musa, Shafie has been in federal politics for a long time and understands the dynamics of it.

Shafie also has a strong following in Sabah, which he has established via patronage support from his powerful Rural and Regional Development Ministry.

Shafie also enjoys a close relationship with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (right). Shafie is also seen as an ambitious political leader who wants to leave his mark on national politics.

Additionally, as Shafie is well-known among the Malays at the grassroots level, getting their support may not be much of a problem for him.

Musa lacking ‘Malay-ness’

However, as the Umno party election draws near, more and more Sabah Umno leaders have given Musa the go to contest.

He is the first chief minister who has managed to break the ten-year “political jinx” in Sabah.

Mustapha Harun of United Sabah National Organisation (Usno), Harris Salleh of Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Party (Berjaya) and Joseph Pairin Kitingan (left in photo) of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) have all suffered from the political jinx, failing to retain power for more than two terms.

Musa has consistently delivered the seats to national parliament since 2004. Despite the criticisms against his leadership, Musa continues to enjoy strong support especially from the Muslim bumiputera voters and from Sabah BN component parties.

The way Musa responds to his political opponents has baffled many people. Instead of silencing them through legal recourse, Musa annoys them more by doing nothing and continuing to work at building coalitional support among his key supporters.

However, unlike Shafie, Musa is seen as lacking the ambition to spread his influence beyond Sabah. 

And his lack of sense of “Malay-ness” is seen as a drawback in getting widespread Malay support throughout the country. Musa is half Dusun and his supporters  regard him as a strong regional leader.

Maintain status quo

For the sack of party unity and as a preparation for the next general election, many BN supporters are with the opinion that it is best for Musa and Shafie to bury the hatchet and cooperate to develop Sabah.

The issue that causes the occasional conflict between Musa and Shafie is lack of coordination and miscommunication in the implementation of federal and state-initiated rural projects.

BN supporters note that instead of bringing their personal clash to the party polls, it is good for Musa and Shafie to maintain the status quo for the sake of Sabah and party unity.

However, no one can prevent Musa and Shafie from slugging it out. It is their right to push their political talent to the limit.

Come October this year, 146,000 delegates from 191 divisions will cast their votes.

The onus is on Musa and Shafie to convince the delegates that they have what it takes to bring positive changes to Umno.

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ARNOLD PUYOK is senior lecturer at the Department of Politics and International Relations, Faculty of Social Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.