GRS x BN: who needs whom more?

BN, which recorded a poor performance in the state election, has nonetheless become part of the Sabah government led by GRS.

The formation of Sabah’s 17th state government last week sparked debate after no party secured a simple majority of 37 seats, making for a hung assembly.

Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) came closest with 29 seats, followed by Warisan with 25.

Barisan Nasional (BN), despite initially positioning itself as the main challenger, managed only six.

The election saw five independents elected, while Upko secured three seats. Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) won two, and both Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) picked up one each.

As soon as the results were announced, negotiations began among several parties, culminating in GRS chairman Hajiji Noor being sworn in as Sabah chief minister at about 3am on Nov 30.

At that point, he was understood to have commanded the support of GRS, Upko and independents for a combined 38 seats, enough to secure a second term in office.

Some sources have suggested that BN had also conveyed its support for Hajiji’s administration in a letter to Sabah governor Musa Aman before the swearing-in ceremony.

In any case, the coalition only made its support public several hours after the swearing-in, through Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, subsequently confirmed by BN secretary-general Zambry Abdul Kadir.

There was also speculation of discussions between BN and Warisan to form a government, although no progress was made on that front. Warisan president Shafie Apdal also denied that any negotiations had taken place.

STAR also pledged support for the GRS Plus government, which saw its Bingkor assemblyman Ishak Ayub appointed as assistant minister. STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan, however, chose to sit with the opposition.

On Tuesday, six individuals were sworn in as appointed assemblymen, in line with Article 14(C) of the Sabah Constitution.

That means Hajiji’s administration now enjoys a sizeable 52-seat bloc, which includes the appointed assemblymen.

An understanding of how the Sabah government was formed is necessary for the purposes of clarity and to avoid confusion, especially since the state Cabinet has already begun its work of carrying out the people’s mandate.

Yet, speculation has persisted over “who needed whom” to form the state government.

BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, when commenting on the matter, said that, despite being fierce rivals, his coalition had agreed to join the GRS-led state administration in light of the “political realities” at play.

The Umno president also said: “Cabinet appointments (in Sabah) are entirely the prerogative of the chief minister (Hajiji), with the consent of the governor (Musa Aman). We know GRS alone did not have enough to form the state government. At the time they only had 29 seats, and BN had six.”

Such remarks suggest that GRS needed BN’s six seats to form the Sabah government. In reality, however, Hajiji already had the necessary majority following support from PH, Upko, and independents — later bolstered by six appointed assemblymen.

Despite having campaigned aggressively against GRS, Sabah BN chief Bung Moktar Radin, who unfortunately passed away in the early hours of yesterday, appeared more pragmatic. He was quoted by Utusan Malaysia as saying that BN joined Hajiji’s government to prioritise the people’s interests and ensure state stability.

That is despite internal pressure to remain in the opposition alongside Warisan — a view expressed by Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh — supposedly to help BN and Umno “rise again”.

Yet, the election results, underscored by a strong “Sabah for Sabahan” sentiment, signalled that both BN and Umno would face an uphill battle in defending their six parliamentary seats in GE16.

Missteps in Kinabatangan, Libaran, Kalabakan, Kimanis, Beaufort, and Pensiangan could see the once dominant coalition swept away by the tide of local sentiment, which now leans heavily toward homegrown parties.

The appointment of BN’s Jafry Arifin to the state cabinet and BN’s participation in the unity government may give the party fresh momentum, despite initial grassroots resistance within GRS.

A good performance as part of the state government appears to be BN’s best chance of doing well at the next general election.

At the end of the day, BN is more likely to find itself needing GRS, rather than the other way around. - FMT

The writer is the editor of FMT’s Malay News Desk.

This article represents the writer’s opinion and does not necessarily reflect MMKtT’s position.