Sabah BN wants Musa to stay on

But all is not well under Chief Minister Musa Aman 's watch. Musa has been under constant attack from both within BN and the opposition.

KOTA KINABALU: Many Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders have stepped forward to plead for Chief Minister Musa Aman and stress that his continued leadership is crucial for the state at this juncture. This follows renewed criticisms against him by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and muted opposition from other BN leaders.

The LDP is drawing a parallel between him and Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud who, after 30 years in office, still refuses to set a quit date.

The BN leaders don’t see why Musa should be asked to leave as well following the improved opposition showing in neighbouring Sarawak leading to renewed demands on Taib to expedite his departure. Sabah Wanita Umno and the Puteri wings have both added their voices as well in support of Musa.

Deputy Chief Minister Dr Yee Moh Chai, for one, is confident that Musa will lead the BN to another resounding victory in Sabah “and, hence, should stay on”.

Penampang Umno chief John Ambrose doesn’t see any need for a change of leadership in the state, former Pensiangan MP Bernard S Maraat thinks that development in the state would suffer if Musa left, while Tawau Umno chief Tawfiq Abu Baker Titingan has dismissed accusations against the Sabah Chief Minister as “unjust”.

“It is only proper that the present leadership be given the opportunity to continue the agenda for the welfare of the people and development of the state,” said Tawfiq. “The LDP should increase the confidence of the Chinese community in the state administration.”

He called for an end to “unnecessary attacks and mockery” on the Sabah Umno leadership. Instead, he proposed that critics of Musa’s leadership conduct roadshows to counter the “racist propaganda” by the DAP.

“It was due to the strategic planning and organising by the Pakatan Rakyat, especially the racist propaganda by the DAP, that caused BN to suffer several defeats in Sarawak recently,” said Tawfiq.

“The LDP should avoid polemics and upgrade its machinery to keep Chinese seats in Sabah within the BN,” he added.

Landscope for progress

Maraat, likewise, is of the opinion that Musa’s leadership is still needed to administer and continue the state’s development agenda. The chief minister, according to him, has done his best in sketching out the landscape for progress and development of the state.

“Musa is the spark for the development of the state,” said Maraat. “He has managed to unite the people to succeed and advance and has attracted more investors to the state.”

Ambrose, meanwhile, fully respects the decision by Prime Minister and BN chief Najib Tun Razak to keep Musa as Sabah BN chief and chief minister. He pointed out that the prerogative of the PM should not be questioned by anyone, least of all the LDP.

“It is not right to say that Musa doesn’t know the needs and aspirations of the people especially the Chinese community,” said Ambrose. “The recent parliamentary by-election in Batu Sapi in Sandakan, which was won by Linda Tsen of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), was the achievement of Musa as director of operation.”

The Sabah BN, said Ambrose, is fully aware of the needs of the Chinese community with or without the LDP and this has been reflected in the coalition winning eight Chinese-dominated state seats in the 2008 general election.

Yee feels compelled to speak out against racial polarisation and any particular community being left out of the development process and the state administration in Sabah as in Sarawak. He’s confident that this would not happen on Musa’s watch.

“We have a very strong and stable government, successful both in terms of implementing development policies and looking after different communities,” said Yee. “We have every confidence in Musa.”

He conceded that “there were complaints” against the state administration but these were not identical across constituencies.

Disgruntled leaders

Sabah Wanita Umno assistant secretary Jainab Ahmad blames DAP and PAS for bringing in the culture of racism to Sabah and Sarawak and pledged the movement’s support for Musa.

“The chief minister is a business-minded leader whose experience and acute sense of the economy has enabled Sabah, especially the people, to benefit from various economic development programmes,” said Jainab in reiterating that Musa should stay on to bring the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) to fruition.

Puteri Umno national chief Rosnah Rashid Shirlin, who is from Sabah, described criticisms against Musa as “an irresponsible act” by those who are worried by his excellent leadership performance.

“Those making the criticisms want to show that the state leadership is crippled and this is not the case,” said Rosnah, also the Federal deputy health minister. “Such an unhealthy approach should be stopped.”

She acknowledged that the criticisms by certain disgruntled leaders within BN itself were “truly frustrating”. She did not refer to anyone in particular.

Pantai Manis state assemblyman Abdul Rahim Ismail, among those said to be eyeing the chief minister’s post, has added his voice to the criticisms levelled at the state government by the LDP.

Rahim has warned that the people view the frequent announcements on huge allocations “as an opportunity for those in power to fill their pockets”. He wants the state government to explain how these allocations actually reach the people, especially the hardcore poor.

“Existing policies should be reviewed to enable the vast fertile land still available in Sabah to be effectively utilised,” said Rahim who was recently appointed as the chairman of the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda).

“A serious leadership is required for coordinating efforts in particular among the private sector and education institutes,” he said.

The LDP has since denied that Musa’s predecessor, Chong Kah Kiat, is masterminding the renewed attacks against the chief minister. Chong is the former LDP president who had his Mazu – Goddess of the Sea – statue in Kudat halted by the state government.

The party has also castigated recently-appointed Sabah State Legislative Assembly speaker, Salleh Said Keruak, for not remaining neutral and instead coming out in gushing praise of Musa and urging others to do the same. Salleh, a former chief minister during the two-yearly rotation of the post, is among those said to be critical for long of Musa.