For Sabah Bersatu, a return to Umno is key, says analyst

 

Ronald Kiandee (left) and Hajiji Noor are among former Sabah Umno leaders who switched to Bersatu. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Sabah Bersatu leaders should consider returning to Umno or risk being ravaged by Umno’s resurgence, says a political analyst.

“The game has changed drastically. When Sabah Bersatu came to power, Muhyiddin Yassin was prime minister,” says Jeniri Amir, a fellow of the National Council of Professors.

“Now, Bersatu is very weak. They don’t have grassroots, strong machinery and very few members whereas Umno commands the support of the majority of Malays,” he said in commenting on the prospects of Bersatu in Sabah.

With Muhyiddin no longer in power, Bersatu had very little influence in the state, a problem Umno did not have.

Jeniri said as many Sabah Bersatu leaders jumped ship from Umno, a return would not be difficult, though it had to happen before the next general election.

In the wake of BN’s defeat in the 2018 general election, a number of Sabah Umno MPs and assemblymen quit the party before later joining Bersatu. These included Sulaman assemblyman Hajiji Noor who is now the state’s chief minister and Ronald Kiandee, the federal agriculture and food industries minister.

“If they (Bersatu leaders) contest in the next election under the Perikatan Nasional flag, I believe they will be crushed.”

He said if Sabah Bersatu leaders returned to Umno, it would pave the way for Umno to join the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah that enjoys solid support from the Kadazan Dusun Murut community through Parti Bersatu Sabah and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku.

Such an alignment would see GRS putting up a very strong front in GE15 or a state election, he said.

“It makes sense for the parties looking to win the KDM votes to unite with Umno instead of taking them on. KDM parties are with GRS.

“Actually, Bersatu is not very much different ideologically from Umno. The former Umno leaders only jumped to Bersatu because they thought Umno was finished.

“But as we’ve seen in Melaka and Johor, Umno is anything but finished and now they are stronger than they were in GE14.”

He said former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman could play a vital role in bringing Bersatu leaders back to the Umno fold.

Another analyst, Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara, said it would be a “major risk” for Bersatu to take on Umno in Sabah.

“In Sabah, being a part of PN does not provide added value. PN relies heavily on PAS grassroots which are almost non-existent in Sabah. Umno’s influence in Sabah is strong, so it is better for Bersatu (members) to join Umno.”

However, he acknowledged this may be easier said than done as there was no leader who could unify the two parties at this time. - FMT