AMBITIOUS, GREEDY OR BOTH? Musa Aman to tussle Shafie for Umno VP post?

In another sign of how the May 5 general election is changing the political landscape here, Sabah’s internal power plays are taking to the national stage.

The state claimed its first Umno vice-presidency when its candidate Datuk Shafie Apdal got elected in 2009.

This came after it delivered 24 of the 25 parliamentary seats in the 2008 general election to Barisan Nasional, which took a beating in the peninsula political tsunami.

But now the talk is of chief minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman (pic, left) taking on Shafie in a bid to become the next Sabahan vice-president of Umno.

This comes after an even closer fight in the national polls when Sabah again made good for BN under Musa.

BN won 23 of the 25 parliamentary seats with Umno Sabah delivering 14 parliamentary seats, the same as in the previous election.

Musa’s younger brother Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, who is the foreign minister, backed him for the contest. Anifah has considerable support within Umno Sabah.

"I believe if the chief minister wants to go for a vice-president's post, I am very sure he will get strong support from Sabah," Anifah told reporters after attending a breaking-of-fast function organised by his ministry in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Sabah has five Ministers in the Cabinet following the last elections but unlike in previous cabinets where most were parked in the Prime Minster's office, this time four oversee their own ministries owing to the growing clout of the state in Federal politics.

Musa has his work cut out should he contest.

Unlike in the past where some 2,300 delegates held sway over who would become Supreme Council members, in the coming assembly about 150,000 delegates will be involved in the vote nationwide. Sabah alone will have about 20,000 delegates.

By virtue of being the chief minister, Musa has the power of patronage and is well poised to reel in the lion’s share of the votes in Sabah.

“How he gets the peninsula votes will depend with whom Musa chooses to ally himself," said an MP who pointed out that Shafie looks set to align himself with two high-profile incumbents in the contest for the three vice-presidents' slots.

The two are Home Minister Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Defence Minster Datuk Hishamuddin Hussen for the vice presidents post.

- themalaysianinsider.com