Outspoken Kitingan leaves GRS ties at risk, says analyst

 

Jeffrey Kitingan (left) and Maximus Ongkili have been at odds over Sabah’s rights.

KOTA KINABALU: Jeffrey Kitingan’s outspokenness on Sabah’s rights could cause friction among his allies in the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition if he continues to be seen as being critical of Putrajaya, says an analyst.

Kitingan should tread carefully when putting across his opinion, more so when GRS is aligned with the federal government, said Universiti Malaysia Sabah senior lecturer Lee Kuok Tiung.

“He should choose a government-to-government approach and not through the media,” Lee told FMT.

Kitingan, who is president of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), is also a deputy chief minister in the GRS government and a deputy chairman of the coalition.

Should Kitingan stick to his current stance, this might cause a misunderstanding among other GRS components or his fellow state Cabinet members, said Lee. “Some might view him as not being a team player or trying to become a hero.”

Kitingan is known to be vocal over the state’s rights and the Malaysia Agreement 1963, particularly when he was in the opposition. He has previously released a number of statements, some strongly-worded, in pursuit of getting Putrajaya to return Sabah its rights.

He has also got on the wrong side of Parti Bersatu Sabah president Maximus Ongkili, a fellow deputy chairman of GRS who is also the federal minister for Sabah and Sarawak affairs, by calling for a new Malaysia Agreement to replace the 1963 agreement.

However, Tony Paridi Bagang of Sabah UiTM said that Kitingan was just being himself.

“We know his struggles (over Sabah rights) from the beginning. Before, he was doing it as an opposition member. Now, being part of the government, he’s fighting for it from within,” he told FMT.

Bagang said GRS also needed to project itself as being vocal and bold over state rights.

“It needs to rock the boat in order to send a strong message. In this context, STAR has to be vocal. “It’s like killing two birds with one stone – for Kitingan or STAR to be seen as continuously consistent and vocal, and to project the GRS image as being different from the Barisan Nasional government.”

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, on the other hand, wonders about Kitingan’s actual political stance.

“On one hand he could be critical and vocal especially when it comes to Sabah rights being trampled on, but more often than not, he would join a coalition containing Malayan parties to form the government.

“It’s very curious to see that Kitingan appears to continue with whatever he’s criticising Putrajaya about but he’s also continuing to unfailingly deliver his seats to the powers that be. “It would take some understanding to see his real political stand,” he told FMT.

Oh said Kitingan’s GRS partners would not mind too much about his outspokenness as the other parties needed his STAR seats to keep the coalition intact. “And Putrajaya can be pushed to deliver what Kitingan wants, so long as he can continue winning those seats,” Oh said. - FMT