An analyst says the PBRS president will need to navigate seat talks with ‘big brother’ Umno while trying to shed Sabah BN’s ‘Malaya party’ image.
Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah said the Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) president’s biggest challenge will be navigating seat negotiations ahead of the 16th general election (GE16), due by February 2028.
He said Umno, seen as the “big brother” in BN, is bound to push hard for the largest possible share of seats to contest.
PBRS, on the other hand, with only one parliamentary and a solitary state seat to its name — Pensiangan and Sook, both held by Kurup — is likely to have little leverage in negotiations.
“If Umno grassroots feel sidelined by the PBRS chief, internal sabotage is a risk,” he told FMT.
Lee said the other major hurdle will be shedding Sabah BN’s “Malaya party” image.
To overcome this, Kurup must go all out to champion Sabah’s Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) demands, particularly its 40% revenue entitlement, he said.
“He must do so as loudly as the local parties to prove that Sabah BN isn’t just a puppet of Kuala Lumpur.”
Nonetheless, Lee said Kurup’s appointment was a positive move for BN as it addresses rising “Sabah for Sabahans” sentiments by giving PBRS, BN’s sole Sabah-based party, leadership of the state chapter.
He said Kurup could use PBRS’s status as a local party to his advantage by pushing himself as a “son of the land” with a direct line to federal resources.
Kurup, a two-term MP, was appointed natural resources and environmental sustainability minister during the federal Cabinet reshuffle last month.
He is the son of PBRS’s founder, the late Joseph Kurup, who formed the party as a breakaway from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).
Lee said the younger Kurup, 43, fits the profile of a modern leader whose appeal is likely to resonate with Sabah’s sizeable youth electorate.
He noted that PBRS has long depended on the Kurup family’s dominance in Pensiangan and Sook, but said the new Sabah BN chairman must now expand beyond his local base to establish himself as a statewide leader.
“It’s an uphill battle because with Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah, PBS, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku and Peter Anthony’s Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat already dominating the KDM space, PBRS is currently squeezed.
“But Kurup’s chairmanship gives this party its first real chance in decades to project influence state-wide to become a more dominant force,” said Lee.
Positioning BN as a strategic partner to local parties
Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Pawi sees Kurup’s appointment as a leadership renewal aimed at regaining voters’ confidence that was lost in the Nov 29 state polls.
While this could woo young voters, urban professionals and fence-sitters, he said Kurup’s challenge lies in positioning Sabah BN as a strategic partner in the eyes of local parties.
“Kurup has the advantage of his family legacy, especially among the KDM community. But the reality is PBRS is seen as a small party in Sabah’s political landscape, including among the KDM.
“Ahead of GE16, the new Sabah BN chief will need to unite the coalition and manage the various internal interests. He will also need to balance BN’s ties with local Sabah parties, so that BN would be seen as a strategic partner for Sabah’s aspirations,” he said.
With Sabah BN at a critical crossroads, Awang Azman said the coalition’s future hinges on the new leadership’s ability to build trust, foster unity and advance a convincing yet realistic “Sabah first” agenda. - FMT
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